


The Librarians: In This Together

by kingdomkeeperofthelibrary



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - High School, BUT WITH JASSANDRA, Cliche as Hell, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Loss of Parent(s), Slow Burn, So fluffy I'm gonna die, Team Library, This is literally a cliche highschool movie, With a heavy Jassandra focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 54,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10095320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingdomkeeperofthelibrary/pseuds/kingdomkeeperofthelibrary
Summary: Cassandra Cillian is heading back to high school for her senior year, after being home-schooled for two years due to her medical diagnosis. She’s heading in blind and scared, having just recently lost her parents and moving with her sister Eve and her fiancee. Just when she thinks the year is going to be horrible, she makes fast friends with freshman Ezekiel Jones, and a month later, meets the star quarterback Jacob Stone. Together they’ll share parts of themselves no one else sees, and find a family with each other when the rest of the world shuts them out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I know I wasn't gonna post this until I finished Best Kept Secret, but the muse for that is pretty far gone. I'll get it back at some point but for now I couldn't resist sharing this any longer, considering I have half of it written! I am so happy with how this is coming so far and it's so much more than I'd originally planned! I'm super proud of it right now and I hope you guys all enjoy! Warning: This at most times will read like the most cliche high school movie you've ever seen. Enjoy. Also warning that this chapter(and others that will always be marked in advance) deal with the subject of loss of parents. Well, with all that said, please enjoy "In This Together!"

Cassandra Cillian rushed around the living room of her apartment, running through her checklist in her head to make sure that she had everything. The first day of senior year of high school was not something to be messed up, especially because it was her first time back in public school since the ninth grade.

She just wanted everything to be perfect. With her track record, there were a lot of factors that could easily cause a disaster, so she did everything she could to ensure that nothing within her control would go wrong. Of course, the universe never wanted to seem to let anything go her way.

“Where is it? Where is it?” she thought out loud, searching under couch cushions and tables for the one thing that she knew she needed more than anything today.

“Looking for this?” A voice asked from down the hallway.

Cassandra smiled to see her older sister standing there, holding out their mother’s old scratchy blue sweater. She placed it around her shoulders. Cassandra turned to her sister and smiled.

“Thanks Eve.” she said.

“Don’t mention it.” Eve said “And hey, I’m proud of you for going back after all this time, especially after…you know. And no matter what, Mom and Dad would be too.”

Cassandra rushed forward and hugged her older sister tightly, trying not to let the tears that so desperately wanted to fall escape her eyes. She’d worked hard to perfect her appearance for today, and she was not about to let it be ruined.

“You look like her today.” Eve said softly. “Mom I mean.”

“I guess that’s it.” Cassandra said after wiping away the tear that had now undoubtedly fallen.  She grabbed her backpack from where it was leaning against the doorway.

“Wait!” another voice called, racing towards her from the kitchen.

Cassandra turned to see her sister’s fiancée holding out a brown paper bag.

“You can’t forget your lunch!” he said. “I packed your favorite: Prosciutto and cucumber!”

“Thanks Flynn.” she smiled, embracing him. He’d been so good to her since she’d had to move in with Eve, more than he needed to be.

“And if anyone gives you a hard time today,” Flynn whispered. “Don’t hesitate to use it to threaten them with that blow torch I taught you how to make.”

“What?” Eve exclaimed.

Flynn turned red. He’d thought she wouldn’t hear him. Cassandra chuckled and parted from her soon-to-be brother in law.

She faced her two companions and exhaled. This was it: life was going on as normal. Of course it could never be the same, but she was incredibly excited to feel like a somewhat average girl for a while, and only a little bit nervous. Ok, so she was a _lot_ nervous, but it was worth it.

“Alright. I guess I’ll see you later.” she said.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Flynn asked. “You know I’m going anyway.”

“No!” She insisted, for what felt like the hundredth time in the past week. “I told you; I _want_ to take the bus. Besides, no offense Flynn, but first day, I don’t necessarily need to show up in the school Librarian’s car.”

“Well I object!” Flynn joked. “I am _highly_ offended. Besides, the kids at that school love me. You just don’t remember.”

“Bye!” Cassandra cooed, running out the door. She was trying to avoid saying that she _did_ remember, and that she used to hear the popular kids make fun of Flynn all the time.

She hated it of course, and now she’d defend him without a second thought. Quite honestly, she didn’t care who saw her walking into school with him; he was family after all, and she loved him. She just loved to tease him even more.

Her efforts to get out of the door before anyone could say anything else were a fail though. Eve managed to catch her before she left.

“Remember to call me if anything goes wrong, or if you change your mind and want to come home. And don’t forget to go drop off those forms with the nurse so you can take your pills at lunch. Oh! And…”

“Love you!” Cassandra shouted, cutting Eve off and closing the door behind her before anything else could be added to the list.

Back inside the apartment, Eve stared longingly at the door. She knew this was what was best for her little sister. She needed to get back out there into the world, and she knew she was ready, but that didn’t stop her from being incredibly worried.

Flynn walked over and placed his arm around her.

“You think she’ll be okay?” she asked him, crying slightly.

“She’ll be fine.” he assured her. “And remember: I’m going to be right in the same building the whole time if she needs me-which she won’t.”

He kissed her on the forehead before grabbing his own bag, and heading off to work

* * *

 

           Cassandra walked nervously onto the bus. Step by step, she searched each row for a place to sit.

There were some faces that were familiar, though not very; everyone had grown up and changed a lot in the past three years, as expected. Plus, the faces she did recognize were not friendly ones.

Towards the front on the right were the two faces who she’d been regretting seeing the most: Morgan and Lamia. They were cheerleaders, the both of them, and they’d been intent on making her life miserable from seventh through ninth grade.

Sitting in between them, completely violating half the safety protocols on the bus, was Lance Dulaque- captain of the football team. Cassandra tried to hide her face so that they couldn’t see her. The last thing she needed was to get questioned about her return before she even stepped foot back into the building.

She continued on to the back of the bus, where she’d always found herself before she left. In the last seat, there was a boy sitting there, staring out the window. He looked just as nervous as her. She gathered her courage and approached him.

“Is this seat taken?” she asked.

“No.” he muttered. “Go ahead.”

The bus started up, and for a couple of blocks there was the expected awkward silence. Cassandra was about to take out her book when the boy turned to her. His hand was shaking in his lap.

“So uh…are you a freshman too?” He asked

 “Oh no,” Cassandra said. “I’m a senior.”

“Well don’t you have friends you wanna sit with then?”

“No” she admitted shyly. “I’m sorta new. I came here freshman year, but I had to be homeschooled after that due to…circumstances.”

She thanked any higher powers that would listen that he didn’t ask what she meant by that. This kid seemed inquisitive, and she wasn’t ready to go revealing her life story to strangers.

“Well then,” he said. “I don’t have any friends either-just moved here. So maybe we could get to know each other. I’m Ezekiel Jones.”

The boy held out his hand and flashed her a smile. Cassandra didn’t know why, but she felt comfortable around him. She returned the gesture and introduced herself.

“Cassandra Cillian-Nice to meet you.”

Cassandra smiled. Maybe this making friends thing wouldn’t be as difficult as she thought. Of course, the one friend she’d made was 14 years old, but hey it was a start. Once she got to her classes, she was sure she’d find someone who remembered her enough to want to be her friend. The world was her oyster now; things could only get better from here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm back with chapter 2! Thanks for all your love and support on chapter 1! I'm so excited for you all to see what this story has in store. So, as of right now, the posting schedule for the fic will be Wednesdays and Sundays, and I'll usually try to put it up around midnight. I do it in the night so that when I'm too busy on a posting day, the chapter still goes up. Anyways, enjoy Cassie's first day at school!

Cassandra breathed deep as she spun the dial on her locker. She didn’t struggle much, despite the new combination. She guessed opening a locker was like riding a bike. She’d just gotten the door open when she heard squealing and footsteps rushing at her from down the hallway.

“Cassandra!”

She closed her locker slightly and immediately stumbled as a girl crashed into her and brought her into a tight embrace. She stood there, dumbfounded, still unable to see who’d rushed her the way they did. They parted and Cassandra’s eyes brightened as she realized who was in front of her.

“Lucy!” she exclaimed, rushing forward to hug the girl again. Lucy had been her best friend the year that she was in high-school before. They’d lost touch after Cassandra left. After her diagnosis, she’d stopped keeping track of her life, and she hadn’t had a cellphone anyway.

“It’s so good to see a friendly face.” she exhaled.

“Well it’s so good to see _you_!” Lucy said. “I hadn’t heard from you in so long! I mean I found you on Instagram over the summer, but…it’s just so great to have you here.”

Lucy leapt forward and hugged her yet again. The two friends giggled and smiled. When they calmed down they still held each other for a while, and both of their eyes were slightly teary. Neither had to say why: when Cassandra left, they both knew there was a chance they’d never see each other again.

“So,” Lucy said. “How’ve you been?!”

“Okay…” Cassandra started, but suddenly Lucy’s attention broke, and she reached out to someone in the hallway.

“Amy!” she called, yanking a short-haired girl over. The girl stumbled and looked dumbfounded before turning to Cassandra.

“Cassandra Cillian,” Lucy said. “This is my friend Amy Meyer.”

“ _Best_ friend.” Amy corrected her, laughing.

Lucy smiled shyly and Cassandra looked down at the floor. She knew she should’ve expected Lucy to have moved on, but yet it was still awkward for both of them to acknowledge it. There was silence for a moment before Amy reached out her hand.

“Hi.” she said. “Lucy’s told me a lot about you.”

“Amy came here sophomore year.” Lucy explained. “We’re in Mathletes together.”

Cassandra offered a weak smile and pulled at her sweater sleeves as she tried to hide her upset. She knew she had no right to be really, but the fact that Lucy met Amy right after Cassandra left only increased her feeling of being replaced.

“Oh!” Amy said. “You should join Mathletes with us!”

“Yeah!” Lucy agreed. “You would love it.”

“Maybe.” Cassandra said, grabbing the last of her books. “Listen I have to go talk to Principal Judson, figure some things out.”

“Well Okay!” Lucy said. “When do you have lunch? Maybe we’ll see you later?”

“Sixth period.”

“Oh. We have seventh.”

“Alright. Well bye then.”

“Bye.”

Cassandra clutched her books to her chest and looked down at the floor as she walked down the hallway. The pain of realization hit her hard: she’d been gone for too long, missed so much; nothing was going to be the same.

* * *

 

            Cassandra sat outside the school Principal’s office, twiddling her thumbs as she waited to be brought in. She shouldn’t be nervous she knew; nothing could possibly go wrong, she was just picking up some forms. But she couldn’t help it: her leg trembled and she breathed slowly in and out. The last time she’d been in here was to speak about dropping out after her diagnosis, and she’d been with her parents. It didn’t hold the happiest of memories for her.

The door sounded as it opened and Cassandra looked up.

“I hope you won’t be having any more of these fights this year Mr. Stone.” she heard the Principal say. “I know you’re better than this.”

A tall boy wearing a letterman jacket walked out of the office, holding an icepack to his eye. She didn’t know why, but she was intrigued by him. Maybe it was just because she didn’t know him before, but it was more than that. There was something about the way he carried himself, about how he looked leaving Principal Judson, something that was different from the other football players she’d seen.

He must’ve noticed her looking because he turned and winked at her, a flirtatious smirk on his face. She jumped back, not expecting the gesture, then slumped back in her seat. She guessed she was wrong about him. Seemed like he was just like all the others. She shook it off and stood up to greet Principal Judson.

“Miss Cillian!” he said. “It’s so wonderful to have you back.”

“It’s great to be back Mr. Judson.”

“Come on in.” he said, indicating for her to enter his office. She walked past him with a smile and he followed her before closing the door.

* * *

 

            “Alright Cassandra everything seems to be in order here.” Judson said, about ten minutes later.

“Alright.” Cassandra said, standing up. “Thank you Mr. Judson.”

Just as Cassandra was about to leave, the door opened behind them, bringing in a short woman with short blonde hair and glasses.

“Do you have the transfer forms? There’s a kid in my class who I think needs to be on the advanced track.”

“They’re in the top drawer.” Mr. Judson said. “Cassandra, you remember Mrs. Judson?”

“Yes.” Cassandra said smiling. “She was my freshman Math teacher.”

The woman turned and her face lit up as her eyes fell upon Cassandra.

“Cassandra!” she exclaimed. Cassandra rushed forward to hug her, and the woman locked her in a tight embrace.

“How are you liking your first day back so far?” Mrs. Judson asked. “Adjusting okay?”

“I think so.” Cassandra said. “I was talking to Lucy Lyons and Amy Meyer and I’m thinking about joining the Mathletes.”

“Oh you’ll be perfect! I run the club and we could really use you.”

“I’ll definitely think about it.”

“Alright.” Mr. Judson said. “Get to class now. Have a good day.”

* * *

 

            It was near the end of the day, and Cassandra skipped as she walked into her next class. The day had not been the easiest one, not by a long shot. People gave her weird looks, and she hadn’t had any classes yet with Lucy and Amy. But now she had science, which made her feel at home, and with her favorite teacher: Mr. Jenkins. In the year that she’d spent in the school before, she’d been close with Mr. Jenkins, and she spent a lot of lunch periods and after school hours helping him with labs. She got there early, right after lunch, so she was the only one there when she went in.

Mr. Jenkins looked up to the door when he heard her footsteps, dropped his pen and took off his glasses. Cassandra smiled hugely and Mr. Jenkins grinned as well.

“I saw your name on my roster!” he said as Cassandra ran forward to hug him.

“I’m so happy I have you this year!” she said.

“I’m so glad to see you back Miss.Cillian. How are you doing?”

“Good thanks.”

“I was so sorry to hear about your parents.”

“Yeah well…” Cassandra stuttered, staring at the floor. “I’ve been living with my sister and Mr. Carsen, and they take good care of me. My sister tried to convince me to stay home for a little while longer, but I decided I really wanted to have my whole last year not being homeschooled.”

“Well I’m sure you’re going to do very well.”

The moment was broken by more footsteps coming in through the door.

“And there are my other two star students!” Jenkins said.

Cassandra turned and saw Lucy and Amy walking into the room. She smiled. It was the first time she’d had anything close to a friend in class with her today.

“Hey Cassandra!” Lucy said.

“Hi guys!” she piped. “I didn’t think we were going to have any classes together!”

“Well I guess we do”

As they spoke, Lucy and Amy sat down at a lab table together. Cassandra frowned slightly as she realized she still had no one to sit with. Quietly, she took a seat at the desk behind them. She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. She was back with her favorite teacher. And besides, Amy and Lucy were still her friends. She had nothing to worry about.

* * *

 

            After school, Cassandra, Lucy and Amy sat outside, sharing leftover snacks from their lunches.

“So” Lucy said. “In true _new girl_ fashion, I feel it’s our responsibility to fill you in on the boys here.”

“I’m pretty sure nothing’s changed.” Cassandra argued.

“Well you’ve been gone for two whole years. You have to find out who aged nicely.” Lucy teased.

“I can’t deal with you.” Cassandra laughed.

“Like take Tyson Lopez from the swim team.”

“Tyson?” Cassandra questioned. “ _Really_?”

“I’m just saying, you ever want to treat yourself…go to one of our swim meets. You’ll have a _fine_ time. Unless you’re into the burnouts like Amy over here.”

“Hey!” Amy interjected. “You leave Dashell alone. You can’t ever get off of his case can you?”

“Dashell?” Cassandra asked.

“My boyfriend:” Amy explained. “He’s very sweet.”

“And very _gothic._ ” Lucy said. The two girls laughed as they Lucy continued her teasing.

Meanwhile, Cassandra had started looking through the schoolyard when her eyes fell upon a group of the jocks and cheerleaders. In particular, she saw the guy she’d seen coming out of Mr. Judson’s office before. He had one arm perched on the bleachers and the other around Lamia’s waist, who was hanging on him like her life depended on it.

“Hey Lucy” she said, not pulling her gaze from him. “Who’s that?” She pointed at the group.

“Who Lance?” Lucy scoffed. “You know all those jerks”

“No, that one:” She indicated her guy more clearly. “The one standing with Lamia.”

“Oh.” Lucy and Amy looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“That’s Jacob Stone. He moved here from Oklahoma last year.” Lucy explained.

“Joined the football team as soon as possible, and before you knew it he and Lamia were sucking face every five minutes.” Amy added. “He’s just another one of the assholes.”

“I don’t know.” Cassie argued. “I saw him coming out of Mr. Judson’s office this morning and he seems….I just get a different vibe from him you know?”

“Believe me Cassandra,” Lucy insisted. “You don’t wanna get involved with this guy. He’s a huge player, and he’s dating one of the nastiest bitches on the cheerleading squad. You do remember how Lamia used to torture you don’t you?”

“Yeah, but…” Cassandra knew Lucy was probably right. But she didn’t know this guy at all. Could she really judge him by who he hung out with?

“I know you don’t like to judge people that quickly. But trust me on this one: he’s trouble.”

Lucy and Amy continued on with their conversation, but Cassandra could still not peel her eyes from Jacob. All the jocks were the same usually: deep down she knew that. But for some reason something struck her about this guy. He had to have a story. And she wanted to know what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who gets to meet in Chapter 3? See you Friday ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S TIME

One month had passed, and Cassandra had not had much success in the friend department. She had Lucy and Amy of course, and hung out with Ezekiel a lot, but when it came down to it, she just felt invisible. If she was being honest with herself, that’s how it had always been before, but this time it felt like it hurt more. She didn’t expect to be the most popular girl in school; she knew that would never happen; she’d always be the freaky math girl. She loved her friends, and she didn’t need many, but she wished she at least had someone to wave to in the hallway, or to talk to on the way to class, or to pair up with when teachers called for group work. And while she loved Ezekiel, she’d like to eat lunch with someone else besides a freshman.

It was late now as she walked through the empty hallway. Eve had suggested that she join a club to make friends. She’d been hesitant, but her older sister had all but forced her to go. She’d ended up choosing the mathletes. The friendship endeavor had not exactly been successful yet, but she enjoyed her time there, and it was nice to have some time to spend with Lucy and Amy. It did, however, mean late nights sometimes. The lights were off, and the hallways were barely illuminated. It was most likely due to that fact, and the fact that her head was pointed down at the floor, that she suddenly found herself smacking into someone and falling to the floor.

Frantic, jumbled apologies were exclaimed by both parties as they fumbled around, collecting their books. Cassandra was so focused on getting everything together that she didn’t even bother to look up for a while. When she did, she froze; she was face to face with Jacob Stone.

He offered her a shy smile and she chuckled nervously before picking herself up off the floor. They were stuck in the awkward silence then. Cassandra had no idea what to say. She was about to smile and try to make some joke when he broke the silence.

“Sorry little lady,” he said, with a classic country drawl. “I didn’t see you there. Hope I didn’t hurt ya.”

 Cassandra tried hard not to roll her eyes. She wasn’t sure why she had even briefly allowed herself to believe that this guy might be different from the rest of his crowd. She should’ve known better by now. The mathlete and the star quarterback: they might as well have been different species, thanks to the oh-so lovely social constraints set forth by high school.

She was about to shrug and walk away, when her eye caught something sitting on top of her pile. And suddenly, the stereotype she’d placed on him washed away again, and she was intrigued. Maybe there really was more to this cowboy than she originally thought.

“I think you dropped this.” she said, holding out the item. It was a book of poetry by Lord Byron.

Jake froze and his eyes grew wide. But after a moment, he loosened up, and returned to the demeanor that Cassandra could now guess was an act.

“That ain’t mine.” he said. “I’m uh…not much of a reader.”

“Well it’s not mine!” Cassandra said.

Jake blushed and quickly grabbed it from her. She tried her best not to laugh.

“It’s for my English class.” he said.

“Um, I know I’m not _that_ easy to notice Jacob, but we have the same English class. Mrs. Moore didn’t assign this.”

He froze for a moment again, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do. And then, in an instant, she watched his entire person change. He chuckled and with that released every bit of tension he’d been holding. And his smile was softer, brighter.

“I guess you caught me:” he said. “Lord Byron’s my favorite poet.”

Cassandra laughed, her face illuminating with a smile now.

“Why do you hide all this?” she asked.

“Well, you know…” His expression grew more forlorn. “People expect things from me.”

“Sorry.” Cassandra said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine. Can I walk out with you?”

“I would like that.” Cassandra smiled and started down the hallway. She was so pleasantly surprised at the encounter. This was not at all how she saw her night ending.

“So, have you read any Lord Byron?” Jake asked.

“Can’t say I have.” Cassandra admitted. “I don’t know a lot about English and stuff. I’m more of a math and science girl.”

“Ah well I don’t know much about that myself.” Jake said, running his hands through his hair. “I think Mr. Jenkins must hate me.”

“Awwe I don’t think so! He’s just a grump sometimes. He’s really sweet when you get to know him.”

The two smiled at each other, and then continued to walk in silence. Cassandra had an urge then, one that she would normally never act upon. But the past few minutes had brought a new kind of energy with them, and after all, she was supposed to be pushing her limits this year. She mustered up her courage and jogged a bit so that she was standing in front of Jake, facing him.

“I have an idea.” she said.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“This may sound totally forward, but, since we seem to get along so well, and I know so much about science and you about literature, and we each need help in the other’s field of expertise, what would you say to studying together sometime?”

Cassandra bit her lip as she awaited an answer. She was trying hard not to squeal; she couldn’t believe that she’d just done that.

“Just the two of us?” Jake asked.

“Yeah. You could help me with English and History, and I could help you with Math and Science!”

Jake was silent for a few moments, and it took all she had not to jump up and down right there. She was so excited that she just wanted to tug on his arm and drag him through the hallway, but if she had learned anything from her time in public school, it was that people didn’t respond well to that sort of thing.

“Sure.” he finally said. Cassandra gave a quiet cheer. “That sounds nice. When are you free tomorrow?”

“Fifth period.” Cassandra answered, moving back next to him so that they could continue on their way home.

“Me too!” Jake exclaimed, before clearing his throat to calm himself down. “Where do you wanna meet?”

“The Library.” Cassandra said excitedly. “And don’t be late!”

They’d reached the door then, and Cassandra had already started to jog out before she realized that she hadn’t said goodbye. She was so used to walking alone, that things like that weren’t even second nature.

From back in the school lobby, Jake smiled at her, watching her ponytail bouncing back and forth and her skirt swaying as she practically skipped away.

“It was nice talking to you!” she turned around and said, stopping herself in the doorway. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” Jake said.

Cassandra waved and continued out the door. Jake watched her for another moment before deciding to say the last thing on his mind.

“Oh and Cassandra…” he called.

She turned to look at him, her jaw hanging with disbelief. Until this moment, she didn’t know that he actually knew her name.

“You’re not hard to notice.” he continued.

“What?”

“Before. You said you thought you weren’t that easy to notice.” he explained. “Well you are. I always see you doodling in your notebook when Mrs. Moore is handing back tests. And you’re always waiting underneath the big tree in the courtyard after school when I’m on my way to football practice.”

Cassandra bit her lip once more and flashed him one final smile before turning and running out to the parking lot, struggling to keep her cool, because every bit of her wanted to scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HE PAYS ATTENTION!!!!  
> Hope you all enjoyed! The ball really starts to get rolling on Wednesday for our plot. Thanks for all your continued love and support as always! Love you my LITs!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to Chapter 4! Let the actual episode parallels begin!

“What’s with you?”

Cassandra turned her head from the cereal she’d been eating to look at Eve, who had just walked into the room.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You’re dressed up all fancy.” Eve said.

“Eve I’m always dressed fancy. Have you met me? I’ve never worn jeans a day in my life.”

“No but you usually go for the skirts and pullovers Red. Or if you wear a dress it’s layered with something.” Eve said. “This is just a sundress and leggings.”

“I really don’t see what the problem is.”

Eve sat backwards down on the chair next to her sister and stared her right in the eye.

“Alright who is it?” she said.

“What?”

“ _Clearly_ you’re trying to impress someone. So come on spill. Guy, girl who is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cassandra lied.

She wiped the residue from her breakfast off of her mouth and went to collect her backpack. Much to her dismay, Eve followed her, and next was leaning in close to her face.

“Oh my god back up!” Cassandra exclaimed.

“You’re wearing eyeliner Red!”

“Yeah and?”

“I didn’t even think you owned eyeliner.”

Cassandra was silent as she shoved the last of her books into her bag.

“I don’t.” she said quietly. “I used yours.”

“I didn’t think _I_ owned eyeliner.”

“You bought it for the engagement pictures.”

Cassandra threw her backpack over her shoulder and started out the door, but Eve remained relentless, following her around the apartment.

“Cassandra, you cannot just wear eyeliner and a dress and then tell me you didn’t meet someone.”

Cassandra sighed, knowing she had no chance of catching the bus on time unless she fessed up. She rolled her eyes at her sister as she turned to face her sister. Sometimes she wondered who really was the older one out of the two of them.

“He’s just some guy on the football team.” she admitted. “We ran into each other in the hallway yesterday and discovered we’re kind of similar so we’re gonna study together.”

“ _Oooooh_.” Eve cooed.

“Oh my god you’re five years old!” Cassandra exclaimed.

Flynn walked into the room then, having heard the commotion. In the six months since Cassandra had moved into their home, he’d gotten used to the sisterly banter twenty-four-seven. Most of the time it was best not to engage. But he never learned his lesson.

“What’s going on in here?” he asked.

“Cassandra’s got a _crush._ ” Eve teased, highly exaggerating the last word.

“I’m leaving!” Cassandra said, making her way out the door.

“Cassandra and football boy sitting in a tree: K-I-S-S…”

“Goodbye!”

The door shut and Eve burst into a fit of laughter. Flynn wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her playfully on the neck.

“Keep an eye on her?” she asked.

“Don’t I always?” he replied.

* * *

 

            Jake walked into the library carefully. He was dealing with a delicate balance of laying low enough so as not to be seen, and of walking confidently enough so that no one would question his stance if they did see him. The few feet of carpet felt like miles. He felt a lump in his throat as he walked further and further in, discreetly searching the tables with his eyes. _Where was she?_

“Jacob?”

A bubbly voice broke through the silence, and he looked up to see Cassandra smiling at him. His tension released slightly, and a smile found its way across his face as he took her in. She was a breath of fresh air compared to the people that he spent most of his day with.

“Hey.” he stuttered, running his hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure how to act. He couldn’t just drop his persona while they were still in front of everyone like this, but he didn’t want Cassandra to think he was embarrassed around her either.

“Come on!” she said, motioning towards the main desk. “I have a private place where we can study. You know…so you can be you.”

His smile grew, taken aback at the idea of her thinking that carefully about him. He didn’t realize he was frozen in place until she motioned for him again, and he shook off his astonishment before following her.

“Hey Flynn.” she said, running up to the school librarian. “We good to go?”

“You’re all set.” he answered. “You know the drill.”

“Perfect. Thanks!”

She ducked under the desk and continued on like it was nothing. Jake wasn’t exactly sure what was going on. She didn’t seem to be very good in the explanation department, or the “remembering that he was with her” department for that matter. A few seconds after she’d left, she’d returned and snaked herself halfway back through the desk.

“Oh this is my friend Jacob by the way.” she said to Flynn. Then she turned to address him.

“Come on what are you waiting for?” she said, as if all of this was totally normal.

“Cassandra,” he asked as he followed her. “Where exactly are we going?”

“The librarian’s lounge.” she whispered. “But students aren’t exactly supposed to be in there so we have to be super discreet.”

“And why are we going there now?”

“Let’s just say I have it in good with Mr. Carsen.”

She turned and smiled at Flynn again then looked around her before quietly opening a door on the back wall and motioning for Jake to follow her. He flashed the librarian a quick smile of thanks before doing so, and the gesture was returned, but if he wasn’t mistaken he also saw the librarian staring him carefully up and down. Uncomfortable and confused, he snuck into the room after Cassandra and shut the door quietly behind them.

He heard her click on a light, and it took him a moment before he really registered the space around him. When he did, his jaw fell to the floor. He didn’t know something like this existed in a high-school. The room was small of course, but it had two red velvet couches and a small round table in the middle. There was a desk on the side with pictures that he didn’t feel right looking at, and a mini-fridge and microwave and coffeemaker. But the most wonderful part of it all was the walls: every single one was lined with books. The ones that didn’t have books had framed maps and photos that Jake immediately knew had significance he thought only he appreciated.

“I guess you like it.” Cassandra giggled.

“It’s amazing.” he said, still staring at everything.

Jake looked around, but not yet at Cassandra. He was too entranced by the room around him. And then, in a moment, it struck him, why this was all so amazing. For the first time in his life, even in this small, closed-off space, he felt like he could belong.

* * *

 

            “So you see,” Cassandra said, indicating a spot in her notebook. “ _e_ represents Euler’s number. And we use it as the base of our natural log equation, because _its_ natural log is equal to one. And it’s the only number in the mathematic field that has that property. Oh! And fun fact…the 33 rd digit is 6!”

“And that’s all I need to know for the quiz?” Jake asked.

“That’s all you need to know for the quiz, except the part about 6. I just thought it was interesting.”

“It is interesting.” he said. “And I think it’s really cool that you know something like that.”

They smirked at each other shyly. There was a moment of silence before Jake noticed Cassandra give a little shiver.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Just a little chilly. I’m on some meds and they make me more sensitive to the temperature sometimes.” _Woops. How did that come out?_

“I’m sorry.” Jake said.

“No don’t be!” Cassandra replied desperately, hoping she hadn’t made the air between them too awkward to recover from. “I’m fine. Now let’s look over the log rules again.”

“You’re not wearing a sweater.” Jake said.

“What?”

“Well you said you’re cold, maybe it’s because you’re not wearing one of your sweaters. You’ve always got one on, or a button down….or both”

“Oh” Cassandra remarked, thinking back to her conversation with Eve this morning. She tried not to blush. He’d noticed her dress, just like she hoped. She moved her hair behind her ear and straightened out the skirt on her lap.

“Well, you know” she explained. “The outfits are sorta out there. I thought maybe I ought to try something new for a change.”

“Awwe, well I like the old outfits. They’re….you.” Jake said. He turned towards the notebook then, as if he’d said nothing at all, but she couldn’t stop staring at him in disbelief.

“What?” he asked, noticing now that she was still looking at him.

“Nothing.” she lied, making herself move out of the moment with a shake of her head. “Log rules. Like I said.”

“Well actually I think it’s about time for the period to end.” he said.

“Oh.” She paused for a second before saying what she did. “Hey listen. I’ve seen you out in the parking lot at lunch sometimes, I know you have it next period. I’m friends with this freshman and we usually eat together on the bleachers. Maybe you wanna join us?”

“Oh Cassie I’d love to but….” he began.

“But what?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? I thought we had a nice time today.”

“We did, a nicer time than I’ve had in a long time it’s just…”

He looked at Cassandra, staring at him with worried eyes. He thought maybe he saw hurt in them as well, and it killed him. He wanted more than anything to go eat lunch with her, but he couldn’t make the push. And of course she didn’t know why; no one knew why. Not a single soul knew anything about his daily struggle but him. And then for some reason, he found that he felt like he could tell her. The words were coming out of his mouth before he knew he was saying them.

“No one knows that I’m smart the way I am.” he explained. “Not even my family. I can’t tell them. I know how they’d react. We used to live in the country and we owned an oil rigging business. None of them ever speak kindly about people like me. And so I’ve lived with this “jock” persona, so much so that I even think it’s really me sometimes and…well everyone I know here expects me to be like that.”

“Jake,” she said softly. “Why would you hide that? You’re so smart! The way you spoke about poetry today…you could give any teacher here a run for their money. Your mind is so beautiful and you’re so different than what I’d ever expected you to be like. You should let people see you. They’d love you.”

“You don’t get it.” he said, almost yelling. “I’ve spent years building up this mask. I can’t just drop it. It’s not gonna happen”

“But I _do_ get it!” she argued. “Believe me I do.”

“I’m sorry.” he said. “I really like you. And I wanna do this again if you do. But I can’t have lunch with you.”

He grabbed his books and rushed out the door, his head pointed down the entire time. Cassandra sat there dumbfounded. There was even more to this guy than she originally thought. But she didn’t know what had just happened. He’d been so open around her all period, as if the football player Jacob Stone didn’t exist. But then he’d rushed off so quickly. He wouldn’t even consider giving that part of himself a chance. She didn’t know if the pain she was feeling was for him or herself.

“Hey are you ok?” She looked up and saw Flynn’s head poking through the doorway.

“I’m late for lunch.” she said, without any other explanation. She pushed past him with her books held tightly to her chest. And as she made her way through the hallways it took everything she had not to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up Sunday: The angstTM continues. Hope you're enjoying the story! Thanks for your continued love and support as always.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Things start to heat up a bit in this chapter. Hope you enjoy! Warning: This chapter contains brief adult language. Cassie's a New Yorker. We curse a lot. Sorry.

“Hey,” Eve said, jumping at Flynn from across their kitchen counter. “It’s been two weeks and you’ve told me _nothing_ about Cassandra’s little football friend that you were supposed to be spying on for me.”

“Well good morning to you too!” Flynn said, in the middle of making her coffee.

“ _Flynn_ come on!” Eve whined. “Cassandra’s not telling me anything. I need all the gossip; she’s my baby sister.”

“I find it concerning that you want me to use my position of education to spy on innocent, unsuspecting children.”

“ _Please._ ” She leaned over the counter closer to him and pouted out her lip: classic puppy dog face. “You do love me don’t you?”

“Since when do you preen to get what you want?”

“Since you’re not _giving_ me what I want.”

“Fine.” Flynn agreed, sighing. Eve’s expression immediately turned to a satisfied smirk, and Flynn rolled his eyes.

“Don’t get too excited,” he said. “There’s not really much to tell. And to be honest I’m a bit confused.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well they go into the Library lounge every day with their books, and they come out at the end of the period. But, when I’m in the halls I never see them together. And sometimes they’re both in the hallway.”

“That’s it?” Eve asked, frustrated. There had to be more. She’d never seen Cassandra behave the way she did that morning.

“Well the first day I wasn’t sure I liked him.” Flynn explained. “He came out before her and rushed away, and then I went into the room and she looked like she was going to cry, and when I asked if she was OK she just pushed past me.”

“So I need to beat this guy up then?” Good old Eve: as fast as she had gotten excited, she’d gone into her staunch protective mode, her eyes focused and cutting like a knife.

“Relax.” Flynn assured her. “They still kept coming together after that, so I didn’t think much of it.”

“Alright fine.” Eve sighed. “Anything else before I go?”

Flynn hesitated before continuing, knowing what Eve’s reaction would be if he told her what he was about to. And it really wasn’t either of their business. But he couldn’t resist her mischief, so he gave in.

“Well, to be fair, I usually hear a considerable amount of giggling coming out of that room.”

Eve beamed and looked back and forth for a second, as if deciding whether or not she was going to jump over the island to him. Instead she settled to walk around and give him a quick kiss.

“You’re the best!” she said, grabbing her coffee. “I’ll see you after work.” She kissed him again and headed out the door.

“Love you!” she called over her shoulder.

“Always and Forever.” Flynn replied with a chuckle.

* * *

 

“So basically everything you’ve been taught about the Hugeunots is wrong.” Jake explained. He and Cassandra were back in the Library lounge for their daily study session, and today was his turn to tutor her in history. “But the right stuff is unfortunately not gonna get you points on the quiz, so go by the textbook.”

Cassandra nodded at him with a smile, but Jake noticed something was off. She was twirling her hair with her pencil and staring down at her fingernails. She was always fully and enthusiastically engaged in his “lessons”, as was he in hers. So her disinterest was not something he necessarily understood, nor appreciated.

“Cassie?” he asked.

“Hm?”

“Something wrong? You look bored.”

“No.” she lied. “It’s fine it’s just….what gives Jacob?”

“Excuse me?”

“Exactly what I said: what gives? How the hell long am I supposed to do this? We sneak in here every day, and sneak out so no one sees you, and we have a great time and we laugh and joke and learn, and then we get in the hallway and you pretend like you don’t know me.”

“Cassie…” he started.

“And there you go again! We’re in here and you’re calling me by nicknames, and then two days ago we get paired up in English class and you won’t even genuinely do the work with me. So what am I supposed to do? Keep acting like a fucking idiot when I know you better than any of those people you’re hanging out with? How long am I supposed to keep this up?”

“Well Cassie I’m sorry if I’m upsetting you.” Jake said. “But I’m fine with the way things are! I mean you said it yourself…we have a great time in here! I like ya a lot, and this is the best part of my day. I’m really grateful to have this.”

“So then why do you have to just drop it when we’re not in here?” Cassandra snapped.

“Cassie, I already told ya. You don’t understand: it’s not that simple for me okay? This is the way things have to be. But I don’t think that means we can’t enjoy our relationship. I like ya. I’ve come to think of you as one of my close friends.”

“You’re one of my close friends too.” Cassandra admitted, hating to be sincere amidst her frustration.

“Alright then.” Jake said, gathering up his books and smiling, obviously not realizing how unhappy she still was. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Cassandra agreed reluctantly. “Of course.”

Jake smiled at her and walked out the door. She sighed as she packed up her own things. She liked Jake, a lot, and she loved getting to know him. She was never happier than when she was in here studying with him. But she didn’t understand. He didn’t have to admit to his true self to be her friend outside of the Library! It was like he was embarrassed of her or something. But when they were alone together, he was one of the most genuine guys she’d ever encountered.

 _So what gives?_ she thought.

Flynn was at his desk when she walked out the door, and for once she decided not to ignore him. He was acting like she didn’t know he’d been eavesdropping for the past two weeks. She’d grown up with Eve and expected something like that from her. And she’d known Flynn long enough to know that he’d do literally anything for Eve.

“When you first met my sister, did you ever act like a complete and total Jackass?” she asked, storming up to him.

“I…well…” he stuttered, dumbfounded.

“Well don’t ever do it anymore,” she huffed. “Because it sucks!”

“Cassandra wait!” he called as she walked away.

She paused before turning back to him. She was trying very hard to keep her composure at the moment, and she didn’t want her sister’s star reporter to know she’d been hurt. But at the same time, she just wanted the comfort of someone that she loved.

“Can I ride home with you today?” she stuttered, her voice cracking slightly.

“Yeah of course.” Flynn said, taken aback. “Just meet me here after the final bell.”

Cassandra nodded and then turned on her heel to rush off to lunch. She’d promised herself when the year started that she’d never take this out. But she knew that today there was no way she’d be able to hold herself together if she saw Jake on the bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your love and support as always! See you Wednesday!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Enjoy today's chapter!

The next day, Cassandra stood in front of the Library waiting for Jake, rocking back and forth. She didn’t want to do what she was about to; she was willingly returning to her lonely free periods in an empty hallway. But she had to do something. He’d left her with no other option.

“Hey!” Jake said excitedly, jogging up to her. “Ready?”

“Actually that’s what I was waiting here to talk to you about.” Cassandra said. “I can’t meet with you today. I kind of promised Mr. Jenkins I’d help him set up a lab.”

_That was a lie_

“But…” Jake stuttered, dumbfounded for the first time in Cassandra’s experience. “Fifth period is _our_ time.”

“I know I’m sorry! But there was no other time to do it that I had free.” _Another lie_. “And he’s writing one of my letters of recommendation so I really wanna do right by him you know?”

“But…what am _I_ supposed to do now? I told my friends that I have mandatory extra-help with Mrs. Moore this period.”

“Flynn will still let you in the lounge if I’m not there; he knows you. Or just tell them you’re off the hook for the day. Go spend some time with Lamia.”

“But I don’t wanna spend time with Lamia.” he said quietly. “I wanna study with you.”

“I’m really sorry Jacob. I just have to take care of this.”

She started to walk down the hallway, but Jake followed her.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked frantically.

“Depends on how much we get done today. I’ll let you know!”

With that, she didn’t say another word and jogged away, leaving Jake standing still in the middle of the hallway, unsure of what had just happened. Once Cassandra was far away enough, she finally let her face fall. She’d worked hard to keep on a smile for that entire conversation. She was fighting tears that desperately wanted to fall. It hurt her not to be with him. It hurt her to leave him alone. But she couldn’t keep going on only in secret. And if this was the way to make him break out of his shell, then she had to do it.

Three days later, Eve entered her apartment and kicked off her shoes. It had been a long day at work and she was looking forward to a quiet night with her family. No sooner had she taken a breath than Cassandra come right up to her.

“Eve,” she sighed. “Why are boys so stupid?”

“Oh boy,” she said. “I was waiting for the day we got to have _this_ conversation. Come on; get in the car.”

“What?”

“ _Clearly_ you had a shitty day; you need a Starbucks run.”

Cassandra flashed Eve a grateful smile. She always knew what to do to turn a sour day around, since they were little girls.

“Flynn,” Eve called. “We’re going out; we’ll be back in a bit!”

Flynn heard the door close before he could react.

“My fiancée comes home, and she’s out again before I can even see her!” he said aloud.

He shook his head, but couldn’t help but smile as well. He couldn’t have ever asked for a better family.

* * *

 

            Cassandra and Eve sat in Eve’s car, parked in the parking lot of the local Starbucks. Eve was sipping plain coffee while Cassandra was quickly slurping down a strawberries-and-cream frappucino.

“I don’t know how you drink those things Red.” Eve said. “They’re so sweet!”

“Mom and dad barely let us have any sugar that’s how;” Cassandra replied. “I’m making up for lost time.”

“Anyway,” Eve said with a chuckle. “Back to this guy.”

Tradition rules dictated that all ranting about shitty days had to be done after Starbucks was in their possession. But Cassandra was so hung-up on the whole Jake ordeal, and she’d been keeping it to herself for so long now, that everything had sort of spilled out on the way there: their first meeting, the secret study sessions, Jake’s refusal to acknowledge her outside of the Library, their conversations about their friendship. Eve, just like always, had listened to it all without any interruptions.

“I just don’t get why he’s being so stubborn!” Cassandra said. “Why does it have to be a bad thing if his school persona changes? Or better yet, why can’t he just let me help him get through the bad things? I care about him a lot and I don’t wanna have to hide that in the hallways. It doesn’t feel like a real friendship.”

“He’ll come around.” Eve assured her. “Guys like that always do eventually. Trust me. Do you know the stuff Flynn and I went through? I might remind you we broke up, almost twice, before we got to this point.”

“Yeah, but Flynn had good reason to change.” Cassandra said solemnly. “He changed because he loves you. Jake and I are just friends.”

“What, and that means he can’t care about you enough to make some adjustments? If he really values your relationship like you said he says he does, he’ll eventually realize that he needs to do better.”

“But I gave him a push and he still did nothing!” Cassandra asked. “Three days I’ve cancelled our study sessions, and they’re pretty obviously fake excuses too. But he’s still not fighting for our friendship. He’s just letting me walk away.”

“Well did you ever consider you might’ve made him think _you_ don’t care about the friendship anymore? You can’t force his hand Red. These are serious things he’s dealing with here, and you need to let him come to his own conclusions on his own time. If you try to force it before he’s ready you’ll just both get hurt.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Cassandra asked playfully, able by now to read her older sister like a book.

“Maybe a little.” Eve replied. “But I’m serious Red. You don’t know everything about his situation. And he’s probably dealing with things outside of what you can fully understand. Just like you’ve got your struggles in life, he has his, and you need to respect that. Would you have liked someone to force you to go back to school before you were ready?”

“No.” Cassandra whispered, staring down at her straw.

“Exactly. So you can’t force him into things before he’s ready either. But when he is ready, he’ll come around; trust me. And if he doesn’t care about you enough to, well than he’s not really worth your time is he?”

“No.” Cassandra said again. “But that’s where I’m at right now. I feel like he doesn’t care enough. He clearly doesn’t want to change for me, and I don’t want him to be not worth my time, because I care about him, but I feel like that could be the case.”

“It’s been _two weeks_ Red, give it some more time.” Eve argued. “He’s got a lifetime of shit on his shoulders. It’s not all gonna go away in two weeks, no matter how wonderful you are.”

She poked Cassandra in the arm, earning a small chuckle.

“Why do you always know what to say?” Cassandra asked, smiling.

 “Because that’s my job. Now come on let’s go home. I kind of left Flynn hanging there.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I'm super excited for you guys to read Sunday's chapter. Big things are coming! Thanks for all your continued love and support as always!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so excited for you to read this chapter. Enjoy!

A week had passed since Cassandra had stopped coming to the study sessions. She’d sort of settled into the new routine again. Loneliness was not always a terrible thing. Until this year, she’d been used to it forever.

It was free period now, and she was exchanging her books at her locker. All things considered, she should’ve been upset, but she actually felt pretty peaceful. She had a nice free period planned: she had cucumbers to snack on before lunch, and she’d found some new music she loved last night to listen to, and she had some math homework that she knew would keep her at peace. She closed her locker and started walking away, bouncing slightly, when she heard an all too familiar voice sound from behind her.

“Hey look Lance: it’s Little Orphan Annie.” Morgan.

 _Just ignore them Cassie_ she thought. She was too used to this by now to engage.

“Why the rush Annie?” Morgan called. “Are you trying to find your parents?”

Cassandra kept her head down and tried her best to keep walking. She’d never forgotten this feeling in the three years she was away, but she’d forgotten exactly how it felt: _push down the pain, fight back the tears, push down the pain, fight back the tears, don’t look at them, fight back the tears._

“You know it was such a shame to hear about your parents Annie.” Morgan continued to taunt. “Wasn’t it a shame Mer?”

Meredith, another cheerleader and member of Cassandra’s old torturing squad, joined in on the conversation now.

“Yeah it was. All that time you were gone I thought it was gonna be _you_ who died.” she said. “You know, with that _brain grape_ in your head.”

Hot tears pooled in Cassandra’s eyes now, and she hastened her walk again. They could be so cruel, and she knew it, and yet they still managed to surprise her every time. She was so hot she felt like she was running, but no matter how fast she walked she could not seem to escape them.

“I always wondered if that brain grape is what made her so weird.” Morgan added. “Maybe it was pressing on the part of her brain that lets you understand how to be normal.”

“No that’s not it.” Lance joined in. “Didn’t you hear? Her sister’s marrying the school Librarian. How weird do you have to be to marry _that_ guy?”

“Yeah.” James Moriarity, another guy on the football team added. “It must just run in the family.”

“I wonder how weird her parents were.” Lance said.

Cassandra knew logically that it was best to ignore them, but she’d reached the point where logic didn’t dictate her actions anymore. She turned sharply on her heel to face the lot of them, though the hot tears were already falling from her eyes.

“Shut up!” she exclaimed.

“Oh look” Meredith taunted. “She’s crying!” The entire crowd of them laughed.

Cassandra was so shaken that she couldn’t even move. She was trapped, forced to face their scrutiny, and all on her own. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, her eyes shifted to the right and of course: Jake and Lamia were leaning on the lockers, watching the entire time.

She took a deep breath to gather her composure and then turned to walk away again. Of course, of all the days, she had chosen today to wear sneakers, and of course her lace was untied. Next thing she knew, she was falling to the floor, and all of her books came tumbling out of her arms.

The laughter that surrounded her grew in intensity. She couldn’t control the tears anymore; they weren’t pooling, or just starting to fall; they were pouring in streams down her face. She searched around the floor frantically trying to gather up all her stuff. Her knees were in pain as well and she was sure that her stockings, that happened to be her favorites, were ripped.

As she looked down at the floor, trying to find every piece of loose paper that had fallen from her notebook, she became aware of another set of hands helping her. She looked up to see who it was and immediately froze: _Jake_.

She felt… _angry_. What the hell was he doing? He said he didn’t want to be her friend outside of the library. He hadn’t made any effort to change his attitude in the past week, and the Jake he pretended to be certainly wouldn’t be helping her pick up her books right now. He wanted her to act like he was who everyone else thought he was, and if anyone else from his group of friends had come to help her, she’d assume they were only doing it to further taunt her. So why should she treat him any differently?

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I don’t need help.” she snapped. “Just go away.”

“Cassie…”

“I said I don’t need your help!”

“Come on.” he said gently.

He gathered up the last of the papers and he held out his hand to her. She hesitated for a moment. He actually seemed genuine. But…he’d never been like this before. He wasn’t going to show his true self, be her friend, when they were around the rest of the school. And then he flashed her a smile, soft and sweet, the same smile she always saw in the dim light of Flynn’s library lounge. She took his hand, still slightly dumbfounded, and he helped her up.

“What are you doing Stone?” Meredith asked.

“There’s no need to be cruel.” he snapped.

“Come on man we’re just playing around!” Lance exclaimed. “Lighten up a bit.”

“You took it too far.” He seemed angry, and Cassandra still couldn’t seem to formulate any kind of emotion.

“Come on Cassie.” he said to her, and placed his hand lightly on the small of her back. “I’ll walk you to class.”

Once they were down a few hallways, Cassandra pulled Jake aside, so that they weren’t interrupting the flow of traffic.

“You didn’t have to do that.” she said, shaking her head. “It’s gonna be a problem for you. Your friends, they’re gonna look at you differently. Your Dad…”

“I don’t care” he said, coming to the realization for the first time himself as he said it. “I couldn’t stand by when they were saying those things to you. They were just awful.”

“I’m used to it by now. I would’ve been fine.” she argued. They stood there in awkward silence for a moment when she realized she hadn’t thanked him.

“Thank you.” she said quietly.

“Hey,” he said. “What are friends for?”

A soft grin came to cross her face as she looked at him. That’s what _friends_ are for: they were really friends now.

“Hey,” Jake said. “I uh…I don’t know how welcome I’m gonna be among those guys right now. Is it too late to take you up on that old offer to join you for lunch?”

“Of course not.” she smiled. “But right now it’s free period, and we’ve got some lessons to catch up on.”

They beamed at each other and shared a small giggle before, for the first time, they walked together to their secret little hideaway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man coming up with those insults was not easy. They're so mean! Thanks for all your love and support as always! See you on Wednesday!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the late upload! School's getting crazy busy as the last month of the semester approaches. I think you'll really like this chapter. Enjoy!

“Ezekiel!” Cassandra called, running excitedly towards the bleachers. “There’s someone you have to meet!”

“Will you stop running Cassie?!” Jake called from behind her. “I woke up at 5 this morning and I’ve still got a pretty full class-schedule ahead of me.”

“Sorry!” Cassandra said to him. “I was just really excited.”

“So this is the famous football player you’ve told me so much about.” Ezekiel joked. “Funny. I thought he’d be more…”

“Stocky?” Jake said, catching his breath as he approached the other two.

“ _Actually_ I was going to say boneheaded. But yours works too.”

Jake startled, while Cassandra just rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

“Ezekiel Jones,” she said. “This is Jacob Stone. Jacob, this is my friend Ezekiel!”

She bounced on her toes, grinning from ear to ear. She couldn’t help it; her two favorite boys were finally meeting, and she was with both of them at the same time. The two best things she’d found since returning to high-school were at last combining.

“Pleasure to meet you mate.” Ezekiel said. “But I gotta warn you, you may be the coolest guy in your grade over there, but _here_ ….here you’ve got a _load_ of awesome to compete with.”

“Excuse me?” Jake asked.

“Just ignore him.” Cassandra laughed. “You get used to it.”

Jake stood still for a second, but decided eventually that he trusted Cassandra’s judgement. So he shrugged off the moment and joined her on the bleachers.

“So how was algebra today Ezekiel?” Cassandra asked. “Doing any better?”

“Oh yeah.” He exaggerated. Cassandra stared at him in contempt, noticing.

“A little” he said. “Maybe a bit….not really.”

“Well don’t worry.” Cassandra assured him. “I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.”

Jake looked back and forth between the two of them, unpacking their brown-paper bags. It was then that it dawned on him that he had nothing to eat. Cassandra immediately noticed that something was off, and turned to him.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah” he stuttered. “I just….I wasn’t expecting this today and well…my friends and I…we uh…we usually go out to eat.”

“Oh Jacob you don’t have any lunch!” Cassandra exclaimed. “I should’ve realized! Here take half my sandwich.”

“No I couldn’t…”

“Come on Jacob it’s the least I can do after what you did for me today” She thrust out the half of the sandwich she hadn’t bitten yet.

He took it from her with a shy smile. Cassandra turned her eyes to Ezekiel, and it took him a moment to realize what she was expecting of him.

“Oh no,” he said. “Ezekiel Jones doesn’t share food.”

“Is he always like this?” Jake asked, leaning over to Cassandra.

Cassandra could do nothing but laugh in response. She felt a surge of what she thought must be pure joy in that moment. Things were finally turning around. She could feel it in the air, with the three of them sitting there: this was the start of something wonderful.

* * *

 

            Cassandra had invited Jake back to her place after school, and they’d opted to walk there, as it was a nice day. Ezekiel had gone home, so it was just the two of them. Even after being apart so coldly for a week, things had bounced right back to normal with the two of them. They were currently laughing hysterically, mid-conversation.

“Well what else was I supposed to assume?!” Jake exclaimed. “You wouldn’t tell me anything other than you had an _in_ with him, you called him by his first name, and I swear he was sizing me up the first day we went into that lounge together.”

“ _Oh my god_ Jake!” Cassandra choked out, barely able to talk she was laughing so hard. “He was trying to _protect_ me! Like a big brother would.”

“Well I know that _now._ ”

“This is my place.” Cassandra said, indicating the small apartment building they had just approached.

They stumbled for a moment as each one tried to let the other go ahead of them, resulting only in them getting stuck in the doorway multiple times. Eventually, after shared awkward smiles, Cassandra took the lead and led Jake to the elevator.

They were still chatting, rapidly exchanging knowledge when they walked into the apartment, until Cassandra suddenly froze. Her eyes fell upon Eve, standing at the kitchen counter, mixing something in a bowl.

“Eve!” she exclaimed, startling Jake, who stumbled back into the door.

Cassandra ran forward and threw her arms around her older sister.

“You’re home early!”

“Yeah,” Eve explained, laughing. “Things were quiet at the station today so I thought I’d take some needed time off and surprise you.”

“I had _the best_ day!” Cassandra said, rocking back and forth on her tippy toes. “You’re never going to believe what…is that chocolate chip cookie dough?!”

She’d gotten distracted when her eyes fell upon what had been in the bowl.

“Oh yeah. My sweet tooth was tingling and so I thought I’d whip some of these up and we could share them. You wanna help me lick the spoon?”

“Ooh yes!” Cassandra agreed, already swiping some from the bowl with her finger and subsequently licking it off.

“Uh…Cassie?”

The sisters turned towards the front door, where the voice had come from, to find Jake slowly walking into the apartment. Cassandra’s hand came to cover her mouth. In all of her excitement she’d completely forgotten about him.

“Woops,” she squealed. “Sorry!”

Jake shrugged it off with a smile. He didn’t mind watching her banter with who he assumed to be her older sister. It always made him smile to see her getting hyper-excited about things like she did; the happiness was contagious.

“Eve,” Cassandra proclaimed, walking over to join him. She still had not put down her backpack. “This is Jacob Stone.”

Jake held up a hand to give a silent hello. Eve crossed her arms, sizing him up and down teasingly.

“Ah so _this_ is the infamous Mr.Stone.” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Pleased to meet ya.” Jake said nervously. He held out his hand, which started to shake.

“Calm down!” Eve laughed, shaking his hand. “I don’t bite.”

“Yeah relax,” Cassandra teased. “It’s my sister!” She hit his arm playfully, harder than she had expected to.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, jumping back.

Cassandra laughed, and then the door sounded again.

“I’m home!” Flynn called. “You here Cassandra?”

“Flynn!” Cassandra exclaimed bolting towards the door and flinging herself into his arms, just as she had Eve before.

“Whoa.” he stuttered, stumbling back. “What’s the occasion Red?”

“Nothing,” she laughed. “It’s just like the _best day ever_!”

“Wh…” he started to ask, until he walked further inside and saw Eve standing there smiling at him.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, with nearly as much enthusiasm as Cassandra had had when she greeted him. “Hey you’re home early!”

“Mmhmm” Eve replied, sauntering over to him. He put his arm around her and leaned in for a kiss, but on the way there his eyes fell upon the kitchen counter.

“Ooh!” he exclaimed, before their lips could meet. “Cookies!”

Eve sighed and shook her head. Her fiancée: ever distracted. And yet somehow, all it ever did was make her laugh.

“Oh I’m just kidding.” he continued. “You’re the sweeter than any amount of cookies.”

“ _Flynn_!” she whined, as he leaned in to try and kiss her neck. “Flynn the kids please!”

She tried to push him off of her and yet couldn’t hold back her laughter as his lips tickled her skin.

“Ezekiel’s used to us by now.” Flynn argued.

“Ezekiel’s not here.” Eve said, removing him from her with one final push.

Flynn turned, confused, and stuttered inaudibly as his eyes fell upon Jacob Stone. The poor kid was standing there clueless and frozen. Cassandra was giggling up a storm and blushing slightly, and Flynn couldn’t do much but point and let out broken sounds.

“I uh….you’re…this is new.” he said, stumbling over his words. “You don’t come here. You’re here, hi. You’re…here. What are you doing here?”

“I invited him over.” Cassandra explained, cutting Jake off as his mouth opened to answer. “We actually have a lot of studying to catch up on so we were just gonna go to my room if that’s okay.” She looked over to Eve.

“Yeah of course,” Eve said. “Have fun! I’ll call you when the cookies are ready”

“Cool!” she exclaimed. “Come on Jacob!” She motioned for him to follow her and immediately ran down the hall.

Jake stumbled for a moment, too taken off guard to keep up with her. He grinned sheepishly at Eve and Flynn before joining her.

“Huh..” Eve said, as Flynn came and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “That’s weird.”

“What is?” he asked.

“I don’t really know what to do in this situation. As her parental figure I’m supposed to stop her from being alone with boys in her room, but as her older sister I’m supposed to _help_ her get alone with boys in her room.”

She looked up at Flynn and he raised his eyebrows questioningly, throwing them both into a fit of laughter. Unhindered now by the presence of unfamiliar teenagers, he dipped his chin down and kissed her deeply on the lips, and then up and down her shoulder, drawing forth her signature giggle and his favorite smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for all your love and support as always! See you on Sunday!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't listen to "We're All in This Together" and "Now or Never" while I was writing the second half of this chapter I don't know what you're talking about.

Two weeks later, Jake and Cassandra were in English. He was across the room from her, talking to Lamia. Though they’d had lunch together every day, and their afterschool study sessions had become fairly regular as well, there was only so far that things could change. They still had assigned seats after all, and Lamia was still his girlfriend. He still hung with his old crowd and Cassandra didn’t mind. He wasn’t ignoring her anymore, and that’s what mattered in her eyes.

“Alright class take your seats.” Mrs. Moore, their teacher, proclaimed as she walked into the room.

As they settled into their desks, Jake and Cassandra shot each-other quick smiles.

“Now today we’re going to start work on the Shakespeare project I discussed yesterday.” Mrs. Moore continued. “Go ahead and make groups of five and I’ll give you more instructions in three minutes.”

Cassandra held her breath as she gathered up her notebooks. This was her first group-work since things had changed with Jake. She was excited; she’d never had anyone to partner up with before, not if Lucy and Amy weren’t in her class. Now she finally had someone she could choose to work with, rather than getting stuck by default with someone who’d inevitably leave her to do everything.

She took a deep breath before getting up from her seat. She turned to walk over to Jake and froze; he was gathering together with Lamia, James and Meredith. She shrunk back towards her desk. She should’ve expected it honestly. He was still friends with them after all, and old friends tended to stick together. Just as she was about to turn again, she heard Jake.

“Hey Cass,” he called. “Why don’t you come join us? We need a fifth.”

She smiled brightly before jogging over to the set of desks. So this was how things were going to be now. She was going to be in work groups with the popular kids. She couldn’t help but feel giddy at the prospect of it.

“Hi!” she said cheerfully, sitting in a desk with the rest of the group. Jake smiled at her. The others were about to object when Mrs. Moore silenced the room.

“Alright!” she said. “I see everyone has their groups. So, as I said yesterday, you’ll each be assigned a play that you are to read. And then you’ll outline the themes and major literary devices used in it, give me examples, outline the structure, and then two weeks from today you’ll present your findings to the class along with a staged reading of what you consider to be the climactic scene.”

Lamia, James and Meredith groaned, but Cassandra and Jake looked at each other excitedly.

“Mr. Stone’s group,” Mrs. Moore said, addressing them. “You’ll be tackling _The Tempest._ ”

“Alright you guys,” Cassandra said, turning to the group. “I’m thinking we wanna be able to start the presentation as soon as possible. So maybe we could all agree to have it read by the time we come back on Monday?”

“Not a problem.” Jake said. “I’ve already read it three times. We got this.” The rest of the group was staring at Jake with their jaws hanging, all except Cassandra, who was just as excited as him.

“No need to brag there cowboy.” Cassandra teased, earning a side eye from Lamia. “But anyway, once that’s done we could all meet after school at my place. I’ve got lots of poster-board and markers and stuff…oh and my sister makes the _best_ study snacks ever!”

“I can attest to that.” Jake said. “Those chocolate chip cookies: to die for. Oh and then Mr. Carsen will set out this whole tray of crackers and cucumber and prosciutto…it’s really great.”

“So what do you think we’re gonna pick as our major themes?” Cassandra asked him.

“I don’t know. There’s so many to choose from!”

“Hey! Peanut Gallery!” Meredith called. Jake and Cassandra turned sharply, having almost completely forgotten that there were other people with them. “We’ve all got a game this weekend so, we’ll finish it when we finish it.”

“But you can do however much you want” James added.

“Well, Cassandra can.” Lamia said, moving closer to Jake. “Jake and I have plans. Right?”

She hung on his arm and twirled her hair, making Cassandra quite uncomfortable. Jake gulped and gently moved her off of him.

“Well yeah babe,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t get any work done.”

Lamia sighed and threw her hands up in the air, giving up.

“Alright so,” Jake said, trying to collect the group back together. “Let’s make a work schedule.”

* * *

 

            That Saturday, Cassandra and Ezekiel walked up the bleachers at the school’s football game. She’d thought now that Jake was fully incorporating her into his life, it was only right that she get involved in his other interests besides studying. And Ezekiel…well she’d forced him to come.

They squeezed through a bench to find seats, Ezekiel munching on popcorn the entire time. Cassandra heard Lucy calling to her and looked to see her waving. She was sitting with Amy and Dashell, and there was space on the bench open next to them. Dashell looked completely disinterested, but seemed comfortable to have Amy hanging on his arm.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, greeting them.

“Hi!” Lucy replied.

“Wow.” Amy gasped next, staring Cassandra up and down.

Cassandra had gone all out, and they were drawing judgmental eyes from the crowd. Her face was painted with streaks of green-and white, the school’s colors, and she was wearing the one school T-shirt she owned, along with green shorts and white knee-highs. Her hair was up in two high ponytails with green and white clip-on extensions, and she’d even gone so far as to bring pompoms. She hadn’t even sat down before she started screaming and waving them in the air.

She looked over and saw Ezekiel staring at her like she had two heads.

“What?” she asked.

“You are being so annoyingly preppy that it’s physical _paining_ me.” he snarked.

“Oh come on Ezekiel,” she scolded. “I know this isn’t exactly our thing, but I’m trying to support our friend.”

“ _Your_ friend.” Ezekiel corrected her. Cassandra rolled her eyes before turning back to the field and screaming again.

“WOOHOO! GOOOO JACOB!”

From down on the football field, she caught Jake’s eye, and he flashed her a smile. She smiled back at him, earning stares from all of her friends. It also earned a stare from Lamia, who had just finished up a cheer with the other cheerleaders. She stared between the two of them accusingly, neither of them noticing. After a moment, she strutted right up to Jake, grabbed him by both sides of his Jersey, pulled him in and kissed him hard.

Jake stumbled, but soon fell into the kiss. His arms went around her waist and hers around his neck, and neither one of them seemed to be planning upon coming up for air anytime soon.

Back on the bleachers, Cassandra looked away and sat down for the first time. The coach was calling all the players to the field then; the game was about to start. Cassandra took a breath and shook off the moment, turning her eyes to the center to focus on the game.

* * *

 

            The crowd was tensely silent as Jake ran across the field. It was the last seconds of the game, and they were one touchdown away from winning. The silence grew, aside from a few gasps, as he threw the ball and it flew through the air. Cassandra held her breath as the ball approached the goal until…

“TOUCHDOWN! OTTERS WIN!”

The crowd erupted in ruckus cheers. Even Dashell and Ezekiel smiled. Down on the field, the cheerleaders jumped up and down and continued to rally the crowd as the team surrounded Jake. Cassandra took a moment with a huge smile on her face before running down the bleachers.

A few minutes later, she waited by the field amidst a huge crowd. Everyone had been lining up to congratulate the team members, and Jake. He’d just finished high fiving with a kid on the baseball team when he came upon Cassandra.

“You came!” he exclaimed.

“Of course I did!” she smiled. “Congratulations!”

She waved her pom-poms and squealed a bit before flashing him a cute smile. He rushed toward her with open arms and they locked into a quick hug.

“You were so great out there.” she said. “I may not have understood anything that was happening, but I totally got it when you won.”

They were laughing when suddenly a voice sounded from behind them.

“Thanks for coming Annie.”

Cassandra froze as she recognized Morgan’s voice. She, Meredith, and Lamia walked around until they were standing behind Jake, Lamia leaning on his shoulder and staring Cassandra down.

“And I love the red and green thing going on in your hair,” Meredith said, pointing to Cassandra’s ponytails. “But don’t you think it’s a little early to be dressing up for Christmas?”

Cassandra fell silent, not unsure of what to say, but not wanting to speak up either.

“No don’t be too harsh guys,” Lamia added. “Maybe Mr. Carsen helped her pick it out!”

The three girls burst into snickers, leaving Cassandra feeling small.

“Jake I’m just gonna head home.” she said sadly. “Great job. Ezekiel says congratulations too.”

“No!” Jake said sternly. “Stay here.”

He turned to Lamia.

“Can I talk to you?” he snapped. “In private?”

Lamia scoffed with a chuckle, but followed Jake to the side of the field. He was huffing and puffing, practically red in the face.

“Jake honey calm down.” she said, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He quickly pushed if off, causing Lamia to jump back.

“What the hell is with you?” she exclaimed.

“What the hell is with _you_?” Jake shouted.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Cassandra is my _friend_.” he said sternly. Lamia crossed her arms and started to roll her eyes. “They were treating her like shit back there and you just joined in!”

“We were just teasing her.”

“Calling a girl with dead parents ‘Little Orphan Annie’ is more than _teasing_ Lamia.”

“Jake,” Lamia insisted. “I know you seem to be on this whole new kick of being nice to the nerdy kids or something, but I know Cassandra Cillian much better than you do. You’ve known her for a couple of months. I’ve known her since the second grade. She’s a _freak_!”

“Well I like her. And I don’t appreciate you treating my friends the way you do. Frankly I don’t appreciate you treating anyone that way.”

“What’s gotten into you lately?” Lamia yelled. “You’re hanging out with the mathletes and some scrawny freshman, in English yesterday you were acting all smart, you barely eat lunch with us anymore, and now all of a sudden you’re getting mad at me for poking fun at people?”

“Did you ever consider that maybe this is actually who I am?” Jake said, his voice getting louder and louder every minute. “I like English and History and I’m smart. I don’t see why I can’t be that guy and still play football and hang out with all of you.”

Lamia hesitated a moment before continuing.

“I don’t understand.” she reiterated. “You were never this guy before.”

“Because I couldn’t be for fear of the people like you, and my father, treating me like dirt. Like you treat Cassandra.”

“Your _father_?”

“That’s not the point!”

“Jake,” she reached out to grab him again, taking both of his shoulders and looking him in the eye. “You don’t need all that stuff. You have friends and you’re good at sports. You’ll succeed without all that school stuff. And if you still wanna be smart then fine. But I don’t wanna see you drag yourself down because you’re hanging out with the wrong people.”

“You know what Lamia?” he said, pausing for a moment to stop himself from completely exploding. “It’s bad enough you can’t be nice to my friends. But if you can’t accept me for who I am? Well, then I just don’t think I can do this anymore.”

He took her arms off of him and stormed away, not even looking back.

“Jake!” she called, but he didn’t stop.

Cassandra had watched the whole exchange from afar, though she didn’t know what exactly had happened. She walked up to Jake to make sure he was okay and found him looking like he was on the verge of crying.

“Jacob…” she started gently.

“I don’t mean this in a rude way Cassie,” he said. “But I think I need to be alone right now.”

“No of course I understand.”

“Do you need a ride home?” he asked.

“No Flynn’s coming to get me.”

“Alright I’ll see you Monday.”

“I’ll see you Monday.”

Jake walked away and Cassandra stood there slightly dumbfounded, unsure of what their relationship was now. She looked over to Lamia, who was surrounded by Morgan, Meredith and the other cheerleaders, the former two placing comforting hands on her shoulder. She looked up and met Cassandra’s eyes, shooting her a death glare. Quickly, Cassandra ducked her head down and jogged back to the bottom of the bleachers to meet her friends.

“What happened over there?” Amy asked, noticing the change in Lamia.

“I don’t know.” Cassandra muttered. “I just hope Jacob is okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY BROKE UP!!!!!! Thanks for all your love and support as always. I'm gonna try to post on Wednesday, but I'm crazy busy this week. If I don't get a chapter up I apologize! See you when I see you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back after the week's hiatus. Sorry about that. As I said before last week was nuts! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy today's chapter! Just a fair warning, because I promised them in advance, this chapter discusses briefly loss of parents, near loss of siblings, and ambiguously delves into the abuse Jake faced from his father. If you feel unable to read because of any of these please let me know and I'll summarize what happened in the chapter for you!

A week later, school was on break for Thanksgiving. It was two days before the holiday one night when Cassandra strolled into the kitchen.

“Hey Eve?” she asked.

“What’s up Red?”

“I know this is sudden, and you can say no if it’s too much, but I was wondering if maybe we could invite Ezekiel and his parents and his little sister for Thanksgiving. They just got here from Australia over the summer, so this is their first one, and they don’t really have a lot for themselves, so I thought it would be nice if they were still able to have a good dinner.”

“I think that sounds lovely Cassandra” Eve said, smiling at her sister’s undying compassion.

“Really?!”

“Yeah. Why don’t you go call him up and ask?”

Cassandra beamed before running off to her room.

* * *

 

            Two days later, Eve, Flynn, Cassandra, Ezekiel and his family, all hung around the apartment. Flynn and Eve were preparing the last things they needed for the meal. Ezekiel’s parents sat timidly with their legs crossed. They’d tried to help with the meal preparation, but Eve and Flynn had refused, insisting that they were guests.

Cassandra and Ezekiel sat on the floor with his little sister Parker, watching her as she colored. She’d barely spoken a word since they got there, but had reacted well to Cassandra, smiling when the redhead handed her crayons and proudly showing her finished pictures.

“She’s really shy.” Ezekiel explained quietly, trying to make sure Parker didn’t hear him. “She likes you I can tell, she’s just not much for talking to everyone. Likes to be in her own little world. But she’ll warm up to you. And she’ll be clinging to _my_ leg all night.”

Cassandra laughed.

“Well I look forward to getting to know her.” she said.

“:Dinner is served!” Flynn called, walking in from the kitchen and carrying in a large turkey on a tray.

Ezekiel grabbed Parker’s hand and led her to the table, Cassandra trailing behind. In a few minutes everyone was seated and all the food was on the table.

“Let’s say grace.” Flynn said.

Everyone at the table reached to hold hands. Flynn grabbed Eve’s hand and she grabbed Cassandra’s. Cassandra had found herself seated next to Parker. She smiled at her brightly and held out her hand. Parker hesitated before smiling shyly and placing her tiny hand in Cassandra’s. This earned a smirk from Ezekiel across the table.

“Bless us O Lord and these thy gifts we are about to receive.” Flynn began. He turned to Eve. “Would you like to continue honey?”

Eve smiled at him quickly before bowing her head again and continuing with the prayer.

“We thank you Lord for our friends and family, all of us gathered here at this table. We thank you for those who here are with us against what we had thought were unbeatable odds.”

Her voice cracked slightly and her eyes teared as she looked over at Cassandra, the little sister she’d loved more than anyone forever, who she was so sure she was going to lose. Cassandra smiled at her and gave her hand a slight squeeze. She took a deep breath and continued.

“Bless us lord, those of us who are here, and those of us who…those of us who are…who are not with us anymore.”

Eve tried to keep it together but broke down then. Cassandra squeezed her hand tightly, but she released it, opting to lean towards Flynn’s shoulder. He put his arm around her and rubbed her arm. Cassandra quickly took over.

“Mom, Dad we love you,” she said. “And we’re thankful for all you gave us in our lives. We thank you Lord for the privilege to be here with good friends around us, and to share a warm meal together. Amen.”

“Amen” everyone repeated.

Immediately following, almost as if on cue, the doorbell rang. Flynn, Cassandra and Eve exchanged confused looks. They hadn’t been expecting anyone else. Eve worked quickly to dry her tears.

“I’ll get it” Cassandra said, motioning for her to sit down.

She walked to the door and stood frozen when she saw Jake standing in the hallway.

“Jacob,” she stuttered. “What are you doing here?”

He looked frazzled. His hair was a mess and there were buttons undone on his shirt. His dress shoes had dirt on them and he was covered in sweat.

“My old man,” he panted. “I told him I was quitting the football team and he got real angry with me. He was banging plates and he stood up all quick and rushed towards me.”

By then Eve and Flynn had heard everything, and had joined Cassandra at the door, standing behind her.

Cassandra had never seen Jake like this. He was shaky and scared looking. She’d only ever known him to be tough, even when he wasn’t acting like the quarterback. She thought he could handle everything. But right now…he looked like a toddler terrified of finding a monster in his closet.

“I’m sorry,” Jake said, his voice shaky and near tears. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your holiday, but I didn’t know where else to go. I had to run and I couldn’t think of anywhere to run to so I came here.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Eve said, rushing into protective mode. “You’re not intruding at all; come inside”.

She pushed past Cassandra and put a hand on Jake’s back to lead him into the apartment. Flynn watched on, concerned and dumbfounded. Cassandra just looked scared. Clearly there were some secrets that Jake had still not told her.

“Flynn get another chair!” Eve ordered, turning as she continued to walk with Jake.

Flynn rushed to the closet and in a moment had set up another spot for Jake. Eve sat Jake down and he gave her a thankful nod.

Eve and Flynn retreated to the kitchen together to get another place setting. No one acknowledged it, but everyone could hear the breathy murmuring.

_I work at a school Eve I’m a mandated reporter!_

_I am too. But there’s no bruises to prove anything to CPS. And we could end up pulling this kid from his friends, from his safety net!_

There was an awkward silence at the table. No one wanted to stare at Jake, but he’d become the elephant in the room. No one knew what to say to him either after an entrance like that. Cassandra and Ezekiel tried to flash him smiles, but that only contributed to the awkward silence

“I like your hair.” a tiny, quiet voice sounded. “It looks like the knight’s in my favorite story book.”

All eyes then turned to Parker. She was smiling at Jake, and her legs kicked back and forth underneath the table. Everyone’s jaws dropped. It was the most she’d spoken all night.

“Well thank you little miss.” Jake said, causing Parker to smile even more.

“That’s my little sister Parker,” Ezekiel said. “And I gotta admit Stone, I think she’s taken a real liking to you.”

Spirits lightened and smiles crossed everyone’s faces. Laughs began to fill the room, especially in response to Parker, who was now suddenly engaged and making adorable comments about everything that was said.

“Alright everyone!” Eve said. She and Flynn walked into the room and handed Jake a plate and utensils before taking their seats again. “Dig in!”

* * *

 

            Later that night, Cassandra, Jake and Ezekiel sat in her room. They’d retreated there a while ago to watch Netflix, but now they had three glasses and a bottle of sparkling apple cider. Cassandra popped open the bottle and split the drink equally between the three of them.

“I just wanna say,” she said. “That I am personally very thankful, today and every day, to have you guys as my friends. Because of you I don’t ever have to go it alone anymore. And I really do hope that we stay friends forever.”

“I am thankful to you guys for letting me be me.” Jake said. “You know…I never would’ve had the courage to ever be who I really am if I hadn’t met you. And now that I am myself, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

He and Cassandra exchanged a private smile, then they looked to Ezekiel. He smiled at them for a few moments before he realized they wanted him to say something as well.

“Oh” he stuttered. “I uh…I don’t tend to get all that sappy, and I’m not the best at these things. But um…I guess I always thought most people were kind of rotten. And you two uh…you taught me that not everyone’s rotten. So thanks.”

“Here’s to the three of us.” Cassandra said, raising her glass.

“To us.” Jake and Ezekiel agreed.

The three friends laughed as they clinked their glasses and sipped their faux champagne. They exchanged smiles, and each of them felt something special in that moment. They knew, without saying he exact words, that this was something different than they’d ever experienced. They were starting a legacy now, making the memories that they’d be recounting when they were fifty years old.

Eve stumbled in the door then, breaking their attentions.

“Sorry to interrupt here.” she said. “Ezekiel, your mom wanted me to let you know you’re leaving now. Jake, there’s a blanket and a pillow and an extra pair of Flynn’s pajamas on the couch out there. You’re welcome to spend the night and stay as late as you need to tomorrow morning.”

Jake nodded and the three friends got up to walk Ezekiel out. On their way out of the door, Eve stopped Jake. She moved closer to him and spoke at a whisper.

“I assume you want to keep earlier private right?” she whispered

Jake was silent for a second and looked at the floor.

“I’ll be 18 in January.” he muttered. “I’m fine. I got little sisters, but my old man would never lay a hand on them.”

“Okay.” Eve agreed. “We’re going to respect that. But I’m a police officer okay? Anytime you change your mind and want me to get involved say the word and it’s done.”

“Thank you.” He tried to walk away, but she stopped him again.

“And Flynn and I would also like you to know that the couch is not just open tonight. Anytime you need a safe place to be, any time of day or night, you come right here. You have a home with us understand? We never want you to even hesitate to knock on our door.”

Jake stayed silent for a while and looked into Eve’s eyes. They were so sincere, so unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

“I understand.” he said. “Thank you”

Eve held out her arms to him and he accepted the hug. It was awkward at first, but he soon accepted it and laid his head briefly on her shoulder. In that moment, though he didn’t fully know it yet, his best friend’s big sister became his big sister too. And for the first time in his life, he had the beginnings of a real family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! See you on Sunday!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry today's chapter is a day late. Easter got a hold of me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy today's chapter. And look out for another Leverage cameo!

“Hey Cassie.” Jake said, walking up to her locker.

“Hi!” she replied, smiling brightly at him.

 It had been a week since Thanksgiving, and their lives had changed immensely in the short amount of time. With Jake not on the football team anymore, he, Cassandra and Ezekiel spent nearly every day after school at her house. Flynn would lay out snacks and they’d hang out for a bit before doing their homework together. Eve would come home and sometimes they’d stay for dinner. One day, when it was warmer, they’d picked Parker up from the elementary school and brought her to the playground. Things were surely looking up for all of them.

“Ready to go to the Library?” Cassandra asked, as she swung her locker door shut.

“Actually that’s what I came to you to talk about.” he said. “I uh…I don’t think I can do our little study sessions anymore.”

“Why not?” Cassandra asked, growing slightly colder. She didn’t know where this was coming from, and after all they’d been through in the past days, she wasn’t about to tolerate jumping back to square one with him.

“I want to,” he assured her. “Believe me. But part of being the real me now is getting my grades up and stuff. So to do that, I have to spend free period doing a lot of extra work with all my teachers.”

“Oh.” He looked apologetic, but she comforted him with a touch to his arm. “Well you go do what you have to. I’m sure you’ll be great. Every college in the country is gonna be clawing at each other’s throats to get your acceptance.”

“I just feel bad. I loved our little study sessions. I’m going to miss them.”

“Eh you’ll be done with your extra-help eventually.” Cassandra was disappointed, but remained as bubbly as she possibly could for Jake’s sake. “And we’ll find ways to still be together. We can go to my place without Jones some days. And here…”

She reached into the tote-bag on her shoulder and pulled out a pad of post-its and a pen. She scribbled something hastily on one of the post-it notes and folded it in half before handing it to Jake.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s a fun fact about what I was gonna teach you today.” she said. “Read it right before you start working.”

She turned and winked at him before walking to the library, a light bounce in her step.

Jake stumbled into the lockers and turned beet red. If he didn’t know any better he’d think she was flirting with him. Then again, was she? He found himself intrigued by the wink. He’d never thought about her in that way, not consciously. But if he considered everything, it made sense. She _was_ pretty cute. And when he thought about it, he realized nothing made his heart race more than when he first saw her every day.

* * *

 

            Later that day, Jake knocked lightly on the door of his guidance counselor’s office. He’d gotten an unexpected summons from her during his Math class.

“Jacob!” she said, smiling and rising to greet him. “So glad you could come in.”

“No problem Ms. Devereaux.” he said. “Am I in trouble or something?”

“Not at all. Sit down.”

Jake hesitated before walking into her office and taking a seat on one of the misleadingly uncomfortable chairs. He still wasn’t sure why he’d been called here. Most of the times when he’d acted out he’d gone straight to Principal Judson’s office. And even if that was it, he hadn’t done anything remotely against the rules in weeks. He tensed for a moment as he wondered if Eve or Flynn had said something to the school about Thanksgiving and his father.

Before his mind had much more chance to wander, he heard the sound of paper sliding across the desk. He looked down to see a handful of college brochures in front of him. He looked up at Ms. Devereaux and she nodded at him. He picked up the pile and started and shuffling through them: _Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Dartmouth, Georgetown._

“What’s this for?” Jake asked.

 “It’s about time to start college applications.” Ms. Devereaux said. “I’m sure someone from the office here already came into your English class to talk about the common app.”

“Wait…” Jake stuttered. “You’re saying you want me to apply to these places?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“But…these are big name schools! These are for valedictorians and people in the top of the class and…”

“You’re smart Jacob. I know you are.” Ms. Devereaux insisted. “I see it in you. Your test grades are way ahead of your peers.” 

“Yeah but my report cards aren’t good enough.”

“That’s only because you haven’t applied yourself in class. But I can see who you really are, especially in these last few weeks. And if you really start working hard with your teachers and bring up your participation grades, and get good letters of recommendation I think this could be a possibility for you. The IVY leagues might be a bit of a reach but things like Georgetown? I think you can do it Jacob.”

Jake looked down at the brochures. He’d thought about college, but only state and local schools. More likely, he thought he’d end up skipping college entirely and working for the family business. But suddenly, there were these things in front of him, kids walking around old, scholarly looking buildings, carrying bags and sitting under trees with their textbooks.

He looked back up at Ms. Devereaux and she was smiling warmly at him. He’d never felt this before, like someone believed in him, like they were proud of him. His jaw fell and his hand shook as he looked down at the brochures again and back at Ms. Devereaux.

“Thanks Ms. Devereaux.” he said.

“Of course Jacob. And if you need help with anything at all, you know where to find me.”

Jake got up and walked out of the office. His face was blank with shock at first, but soon it grew to a huge smile, and he tried not to leap as he walked back to class.

* * *

 

            Cassandra got to her locker at the end of the day and chuckled to see a bright orange post it note stuck to the front of it. She peeled it off to read Jacob’s careful handwriting.

_Fun fact: Your fun fact really made me smile. And Shakespeare’s wife’s name was Anne Hathaway :)_

She smiled as she looked down at it and soon heard his voice from next to her.

“I thought you might like that.” he said.

“It’s so sweet you thought to continue the post-it notes!” she said, looking up at him. “I thought you’d think my idea was silly.”

“Nah. I love it. It was a good idea. Cause man I’m sure as hell gonna miss exchanging all that knowledge free period.”

“Ready to go?” she asked. She finished packing away the last of her notebooks, swung her bag over her arm and slammed her locker closed.

“Sure.” he agreed.

They walked in silence for a few moments. He was so anxious to tell her what he had to; he felt like he was going to burst. He was trying to find the right moment and way to say it, and figuring how to manage his enthusiasm.

“Hey guess what?” he said.

“What?”

“I was talking to Ms. Devereaux today and she thinks if I really apply myself in class…I might be able to get into some really good colleges.”

Cassandra stopped dead in the hallway and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Really?” she asked.

“Really. Places like Harvard and Georgetown!”

“Oh my gosh!”

“Yeah. I think I really wanna do it.”

“Oh Jacob that’s wonderful!” Cassandra exclaimed.

She rushed him, despite the fact that they were in a crowded hallway and threw her arms around him, nearly causing them both to topple to the floor. He stumbled, but soon laughed and returned the gesture. It took them both a minute to realize what they’d both done, and when they did they quickly let go. They laughed nervously and Cassandra fixed her hair.

“Well we have to go home and celebrate now.” she said. “Eve made the _best_ chocolate chip cookies last night.”

Jake smiled at her, in a way that may have been construed as flirty, and they walked down the hallway laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! See you on Wednesday with Christmas in April


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! *wink* It may be sunny April here, but for Jake, Cassandra and Ezekiel it's Christmas time! This chapter's a bit longer than normal. Hope you enjoy!

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”

It was December 23rd and Cassandra ran down the hallway towards all of her friends, gathered by the lockers.

“Merry Christmas!” Jake and Ezekiel replied.

Lucy leaned on the locker with her arms crossed, staring Cassandra up and down.

“Christmas isn’t for another two days Red.” she groaned. “Please calm down. I didn’t have any coffee this morning.”

“How can I calm down?!” Cassandra exclaimed. “IT’S CHRISTMAAAASSS!”

“Damn you really like to go all out don’t you Cass?” Jake noted.

Cassandra was clad in a bright red dress with a polka dot shirt underneath it. She had green and white striped knee highs on with red high-heeled boots. Her hair was curled and she wore reindeer antlers with jingle bells on them, as well as a light up necklace.

“Well it’s my favorite holiday!” she said. “The most wonderful time of the year!”

She threw her hands up, as if she was going to launch confetti or something. Lucy, Amy and Ezekiel stared at her like she had two heads, but Jake simply smiled, though he was slightly terrified.

“I can’t argue with that.” he said. “Christmas is about the only time my house is really happy. I get to see my cousins and my ma is so focused in on the holiday that she’s real happy, and that makes my pop happy too. It just feels good to have a guarantee of enjoying your family for that one day you know?”

“Well my parents never really got into Christmas.” Cassandra said solemnly, opening her locker. “The only reason I’m like this now is Eve made sure when I was little that I still got to have a big holiday. She’d find ways to make or buy little gifts and label them as from Santa.”

“Your parents didn’t get you gifts from Santa?” Jake exclaimed.

“Nope” Cassandra muttered. “They thought it would stent my intellectual growth. They told me he wasn’t real when I was three.”

“ _Three_?!”

“Hey don’t pity me!” she argued. “Eve made sure I got to have the magic for a while longer, and besides, I’m super into Christmas. They never brought me down.”

“I just can’t believe the nerve…”

“Jacob, please!” Cassandra closed her locker and looked him in the eye. “Let’s just have a nice day okay? Don’t focus on it, really.”

Jake stared her down, still flabbergasted at the tale she’d just told. She’d completely moved on though, back to smiling brightly and giggling up a storm.

“Well, I have a class to get to” she said, turning to face all her friends. “Merry Christmas! And remember, if you don’t have any big obligations with your family, you’re all invited to my house tomorrow night! We’re gonna have a little Christmas party/ birthday celebration for Eve.”

“Your sister’s birthday is _Christmas Eve?”_ Ezekiel asked.

“Yeah.” Cassandra said nonchalantly. “It’s what she was named after. Alright bye!”

Without another thought, she turned to go to class, literally skipping down the hallway, wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone she passed. It was the one time of year that she didn’t have a care in the world, didn’t care who looked at her in what way; it was Christmas!

* * *

 

            The next day, Cassandra Jake and Ezekiel sat in her bedroom, stuffed already with birthday cake, and yet still eating from the plate of Christmas cookies in-between them. They were the only two who’d been able to come, and Ezekiel’s family had come with him.

Eve and Flynn had bought small gifts for each of the kids, surprising Ezekiel and Jake, who had stared at the couple dumbfounded before smiling as they took their gifts. Parker was currently in the living room, loudly playing with her new Barbie. The shy girl had quickly grown comfortable in the little home, just like everyone else.

The three friends were now exchanging their own presents. Ezekiel laughed as he looked down at the puzzle book Cassandra had gotten him.

“This’ll be perfect for practicing cracking codes!” he exclaimed. “Thanks Cassandra!”

“You’re welcome.” she giggled. She reached behind her and pulled out a package wrapped in red and thrust it out to Jake.

“Jacob,” she said. “This is for you. Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you.” Jake flirted.

They both laughed as he took the gift from her and pulled back the wrappings. Cassandra held her breath and watched him anxiously. She couldn’t wait to see his face. The moment came soon, and she watched his eyes gradually grow brighter as he realized what he was holding.

“They’re biographies of Lord Byron.” she explained. “The day we met you told me that he was our favorite poet.”

“I…” he started, but Cassandra could not stop her rambling.

“I know, I know you probably know everything about him already, but all things considered I didn’t know how many books you actually own and I thought maybe it would just be nice to have those and…”

“Cassie,” he insisted, cutting her off. “I love them. Thank you.”

She smiled and they both stumbled, each making little motions forward and pulling back. After looking at each other for a few moments, they seemed to come to a decision and moved in to hug each other.

“Alright!” Ezekiel yelled after a few moments had passed, causing them to break their embrace. “Enough with the mushy stuff! I have presents for you two!”

He thrust out a package to each of them, both equally sized and equally sloppily wrapped. Cassandra laughed and amused him, shaking the package next to her ear. Jake stared at him accusingly.

“Alright Jones” he said. “What convenience store did you steal these from?”

“ _Me_?” he joked. “Steal something that I was giving to you as a _present_?”

Cassandra was laughing hysterically at the kid’s exaggeration, but Jake just crossed his arms and stared at him unamused.

“Well Stone,” Ezekiel continued, scoffing, causing Cassandra to laugh even more. “I’m _insulted._ I can’t believe you would even _think_ I would do something like that!”

Ezekiel and Stone stared at each other for a few moments before the two of them smiled and laughed along, though Jake still shook his head in disapproval.

Cassandra and Jake turned to their gifts then, hastily pulling away the paper to reveal giant chocolate Santas.

“Ezekiel!” Cassandra cheered. “This is so sweet!”

She leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t wait long before joking with her.

“Sweet.” he repeated. “Pun intended?”

Cassandra shook her head and moved away from him. Meanwhile, Jake nodded at him awkwardly.

“Thanks man.” he said.

“No problem mate. Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

Jake and Cassandra looked at each other and rolled their eyes, but smiled none the less. The kid was annoying sure, but they loved him.

“Cassandra,” Jake said, coughing away nervousness. His hand shook behind him as he held her present. “This is for you.”

Inside his mind, he begged himself to calm down as he held out her present. He tried so hard to stop his trembling that he had a death grip on the gift-bag, causing Cassandra to have to nearly rip it from his hands.

She picked out the tissue paper excitedly and threw it into the air. He leaned forward to watch her more closely, causing her to stop before launching a piece of tissue paper into his face. They laughed before she finally pulled out the gift inside and gasped.

“Oh it’s a bear!” she exclaimed. “It’s so cute!”

Cassandra held a small; purple teddy bear that wore a galaxy-printed dress and a shiny purple bow on its ear.

“I thought you’d like that.” Jake said, smiling. “I saw it when I took my little sister out the other day.”

“I love it Jake thank you.” she rushed to hug him again, but he held out a hand to stop her.

“What’s this?” he asked, reaching into the pocket of his flannel. “I think there’s something else.”

He pulled out a small box with a tiny bow on top and held it out to her. She stared at him in disbelief and hesitated as she reached forward to take it.

“Jake what did you do?” she asked breathily.

“I didn’t do anything.” he said. “It’s not from me.”

Cassandra jerked back then, even more confused than before. When she looked down at the label though her heart leapt. She didn’t know what to say. She almost wanted to cry. Written on the tag, in the handwriting she still recognized easily was:

_To Cassandra. Love, Santa_

“Jake,” she said, shaking her head at him. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he said. “I woke up this morning and it was just lying underneath my tree. “

She smiled at him, judging him still, and pulled away the paper. She was so focused on his antics that she didn’t realize what she was holding for a moment after she finished opening it. But when her eyes finally looked down, she held her breath. A small jewelry box was in her hands. It wasn’t small enough to be a ring, but it was small enough certainly to be expensive.

Her fingers trembled as she hastily lifted open the box’s hinges. Sitting inside, on a little velvet card, was a pin just like the ones she often wore. It was silver in color, and depicted three horses prancing.

“Jake…” she stuttered. “It’s…it’s beautiful.”

“Don’t thank me.” Jake said, continuing with his charade. “Thank Santa Claus.”

Cassandra looked up at him and rolled her eyes before letting her fingers run across the jewelry. She didn’t know what to do or say. The pin was breathtaking, and clearly expensive, and Jake had gotten it for her. Not even her parents had ever given her a gift like this. She’d rarely had a gift on any occasion that could leave her speechless.

“I love it.” she said, before closing the box and holding it out to Jake. “But I can’t accept this.”

“Really Cass don’t worry about it.” he said. “I’d been saving up for a while-Lamia always demanded real expensive things- and it didn’t cost all that much anyway.”

Cassandra smirked at him and he blushed, realizing he’d dropped his cover story. She opened the box again and continued to stare at it.

“Lift the bottom.” Jake said.

Cassandra looked up at him before returning to the pin and carefully lifting the velvet card it was sitting on. There, in the bottom of the box, was neon-green paper, folded into a tiny square. She smiled, having an idea already what it was, and unwrapped it to reveal a post it note.

 _Fun Fact_ Jake had written. _Santa Claus was based off of the real life Saint Nicholas, who anonymously paid the dowries of girls who could not afford it themselves_

“See?” he said. “Santa Claus really was real.”

Cassandra actually felt herself tearing up. She hadn’t thought much of it when she’d told her friends the story of not getting to believe in Santa, but he’d really listened. Not only had he paid attention, he’d gone so far as to do something to try and make it better for her. She’d never had a friend that cared about her that much.

For another time that night, she rushed forward and hugged him. This time though, it wasn’t playful or just a casual thank you. She squeezed him tightly and he did the same.

“Thank you.” she whispered.

“You’re welcome.” he replied.

“Alright seriously!” Ezekiel exclaimed, breaking the moment. “If I wanted to spend my Christmas Eve dealing with sappy nonsense I would’ve played Barbies with Parker. Come on! I just wanna eat some cookies and watch movies.”

Jake and Cassandra parted, Cassandra laughing and wiping away tears. Jake looked at Ezekiel scornfully but soon the three friends turned to the TV and settled down. Cassandra moved forward to put their first movie selection into the DVD player. When she came back, she sat right next to Jake, and a little bit closer than usual. And not too far into the movie, her head found its way to rest on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your love and support as always. Sunday takes us to New Years Eve!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless me Father, for I have sinned. That's all I'm saying. (And at the request of LittleLadyBigDreamer, cuteness overload warning.)

A week later, it was New Year’s Eve. Cassandra, Jake and Ezekiel stood gathered around the TV in her living room with Eve and Flynn. It was ten minutes to midnight, and the group was still highly engaged in the game of Twister that had been on-going for a good portion of the past hour.

Jake had gotten out early on. He couldn’t even stretch his legs across a single row and had fallen not long after they began. He’d yelled loudly when it first happened, and walked off the mat curding under his breath.

Cassandra, thin and nimble, had lasted for a while after that, but a sneeze had caused her foot to slip out from under her, and left her lying face down on the mat. She’d stomped off the mat with her arm crossed and wouldn’t talk to anyone for five minutes after the incident.

Ezekiel had lasted for a long while. He was the twister champion that none of them had expected. When he finally failed, he’d joined Jake and Cassandra and acknowledged them with a proud nod. When they’d stared at him expecting an explanation, he’d accounted the flexibility to all of his sneaking around, and also insisted with them that he failed on purpose. They’d let him have the moment, but had looked over him and rolled their eyes at each other with a laugh.

Now it was down to Eve and Flynn, and it had been for the last ten minutes. They were completely twisted up like a pretzel and were both grunting in frustration.

“Right hand red” Ezekiel called out.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” Eve yelled.

“ _You_ get out of _my_ way!” Flynn shot back.

“I can’t because your butt is in my face!”

“I’m just trying to follow the instructions!”

“And what am I doing: sunbathing?”

“Wow,” Jake whispered to Cassandra. “This is not how I imagined my night going.”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “This happens all the time on game nights. Neither one of them ever wants to give up.”

“I can see that!”

“I mean sometimes they go _all night._ ” Cassandra continued. “Most times neither one of them can move very much afterwards. It’s always fun to watch but I just get sick of all the _moaning_ sometimes. ”

Cassandra returned her eyes to the game, naïve to what she’d just said. Jake stared at her with wide eyes, horrified.

“Cassie,” he said sternly.

“What?”

“Please don’t ever say that again.”

Suddenly, they heard screams come from the Twister mat and looked over to see Flynn face first on the floor, lying underneath Eve. She was pointing at him, obnoxiously cheering in victory. Cassandra laughed, but Jake still seemed highly uncomfortable.

“I beat you Carsen!” Eve said. “I always tell you I’m gonna beat you!”

“You know you can’t say that for much longer,” Flynn teased. “Pretty soon you’re gonna be a Carsen too.”

Eve shook her head and held out her hand to help him up.

“Come on,” she said. “It’s almost midnight. Let’s go get the drinks.”

They walked to the kitchen then, Eve slightly limping and Flynn trailing behind her, partially hunched over. Flynn sped up to reach her as they got closer to the kitchen, and his hand reached out to tap her playfully on the butt.

Cassandra was still laughing hysterically, but Jake was mortified. He shook it off before turning to talk to Cassie.

“So,” he said. “You have any New Years Resolutions this year Cassie?”

“Oh I don’t know,” she said. “I could say I’m giving up sweets, but that would fail before it even got started.”

“Yeah a day without you eating candy is the day that pigs fly.” he joked, causing her to smack him on the arm before laughing.

“What about you?” she asked, once they’d calmed down.

“Oh I don’t know either.” he said, turning to her and growing more serious. “I think I’ve already made a lot of changes that I like.”

They smirked at each other and then their eyes met. They stayed like that for a while. Cassandra’s mind was running wild with a million thoughts, though it was still completely focused on one thing. She’d changed so much for the better because of him, and he’d changed too; they’d changed together. She owed so much to him. She never felt more herself than when they were together. And she knew she’d had feelings for him before, she’d just let them go because she was sure he would never feel the same way, not even after the break-up with Lamia. But in the past week she’d been suddenly becoming aware of everything again. And the things he’d said, the way he was looking at her, maybe…

“Alright everyone get ready!” Eve said, walking in from the kitchen with Flynn. “One minute to go!”

Jake and Cassandra jumped back sharply and turned away from each other. Cassandra fixed her hair and pushed it behind her ear, and Jake reached up his arm to stretch. She shook off her disappointment and any other feelings; the moment was over.

Eve and Flynn handed out flutes of sparkling cider for the kids and champagne for themselves. Everyone’s attention turned to the TV as the big countdown clock in Manhattan continued to count down from 60.

“Here we go.” Cassandra said, exhaling slowly.

“Here we go.” Jake repeated.

“Woohoo!” Ezekiel cheered, causing them both to smile and bringing them back into the spirit of the night.

“Alright everyone!” Flynn said excitedly. “20 seconds!”

“You ready?” Jake asked Cassandra, things back to normal now, though they both still wore nervousness on their smiles.

“You bet.” she replied.

“10, 9, 8” Everyone began counting down. Jake and Cassandra simply smiled at each other for a few moments before joining in.

“7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

No sooner how the ball reached the bottom of the pole, then had Eve leapt towards Flynn and pressed her lips to his. They kissed for a while before parting, full of laughter. He reached up his arm and put it around her shoulder and she buried herself in his side as she sipped her champagne.

“Happy New Year!” Jake said breathily, turning to Cassandra.

“Happy New Year.” she said.

He turned away and quietly sipped his apple cider.

Cassandra looked at him for a moment and thought of everything that had happened before. They weren’t ready to move forward yet, she knew that now. But if no one did anything they’d be staring at each other awkwardly every day for the foreseeable future. Someone needed to do something. And after all, everyone was supposed to kiss someone else at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

She let impulse take over so she barely hesitated. She stood up on her tippy-toes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. He looked at her, surprised. She smirked shyly in response and shrugged away. He turned away and sipped his cider again, blushing slightly. His eyebrows were high, and only the glass hid the giant smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUAHAHAHA. See you Wednesday ;)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here at kingdomkeeperofthelibrary, we like to put the SLOW in slow-burn. Enjoy!

Lamia was in the locker room changing after gym. She’d just finished pulling her shirt back on when she saw Cassandra Cillian and Lucy Lyons over her shoulder. She wasn’t trying to pay attention to them, but they were so annoyingly loud and eccentric that she couldn’t help but overhear them.

“That pin is so pretty!” Lucy said.

“Thanks!” Cassandra exclaimed. “It was a Christmas present from Jake.”

This really caught Lamia’s attention, and she turned to eavesdrop on them, half-hiding her face behind her binder. Lucy was leaning close to Cassandra and holding the large pin on her shirt. Jake had given her that? He always complained at the prospect of affording jewelry for her, and yet here she was looking at the silver pin that he’d apparently bought for another girl, and one who was just his friend.

She shook it off and closed her gym locker. What should she care if he was buying jewelry for another girl? He’d turned into someone she’d never want to date anyway, and he’d been pretty clear how he felt about her. And she was with Lance now. It didn’t matter. Rather, it shouldn’t matter.

She walked out of the locker room into the gym where Morgan was waiting for her, looking down at her phone.

“Ready to go?” she asked. Lamia stared into space and said nothing.

“Hey,” Morgan repeated, receiving silence again. “Hey what’s with you?”

“What?” Lamia asked, finally realizing that she’d been addressed. “Nothing, sorry. I was just…thinking about the quiz I have later.”

“Alright whatever you say.” Morgan said mockingly.

They walked out of the gym in silence. After a little while, Lamia heard excited footsteps behind her and looked to see what was happening. Sure enough, Cassandra was running out of the locker room, right towards Jake who was waiting for her outside of the boy’s locker room. He was looking at her with a huge smile, and they started walking out of the gym together, highly engaged in conversation immediately. Not to mention the fact that she was giggling every five seconds.

“Now I know what was bothering you.” Morgan said, though Lamia still wasn’t listening. She leaned in closer.

“I smell a little green monster.” she said in a sing-song voice. She started laughing, but Lamia quickly put an end to it.

“Shut up.” she snapped.

 “I don’t know what he sees in her anyway. It can’t be the redhead thing because then he never would’ve dated you in the first place.” Morgan joked.

“At least now I know why he broke up with me.” Lamia said solemnly, ignoring her.

“No, he broke up with you because he’s a weird-o just like Cassandra.”

“Morgan…” Lamia complained.

“Lamia come on.” Morgan insisted, grabbing Lamia by the arm. “You’re better than them, you know it. And you’ve got some much better arm candy now who’s waiting for you by the lockers.”

Lamia said nothing, and her eyes were still hard pressed on Jake and Cassandra. 

“Come on” Morgan said, more gently. “Let’s go.”

Lamia waited for a moment and looked again at Jake and Cassandra. She thought about everything he’d said to her in the heat of the moment that day of the breakup, and the way Morgan was acting now. But she decided not to focus on it and walked off with Morgan to the rest of her day.

* * *

 

            Later that month, Ezekiel sat in Cassandra’s room with her and Jake, groaning. They’d decided to play Scrabble that day, but the game had reduced itself to only Jake and Cassandra about ten minutes ago. He’d still been getting turns, but he’d given up after putting down words like _happy_ , when the two of them were responding with words like _aerodynamic_.  They’d barely noticed when he stopped playing.

“Oh come on!” Cassandra complained, as Jake placed a final letter down on the triple word score. “There’s no way that’s legal.”

“Looks like I got some more lessons to teach you Cassie,” he said smugly, grabbing more letter pieces from the bag. “Cause that’s a legal word.”

“ _Bijou_?”

“It’s a theatre in Boston.” Cassandra crossed her arms and he stared her down playfully. “Look it up in the dictionary if you don’t believe me.”

Cassandra challenged him with a stare of her own, and now neither one of them would say anything. Ezekiel rolled his eyes and took out his phone to browse Twitter.

It was always like this, and it was getting worse and worse as the school year went on: most of the time, if all three of them were together, it was like he wasn’t even in the room. He wouldn’t mind all that much; they were all still friends, and he was totally aware that couples tended to ignore everyone else to interact with each other. But the ridiculous thing about it was they weren’t a couple, at least not consciously. Every morning when he went to school after leaving Cassandra’s house before Jake the night before, he expected them to tell him they were together. But every morning, things were just as they were before. It was exhausting.

He heard Cassandra squeal suddenly and looked up from his phone. She was clutching a dictionary tight against her chest and Jake was leaning over to her and grabbing for it. It was resulting in him tickling her slightly and the two of them batting at each other.

Ezekiel signed and looked back down at his phone.

            A few weeks later, Eve walked by Cassandra’s room when she saw her kneeling on the bed, putting something on the wall. Confused, she knocked lightly on the door. Cassandra turned and smiled at her.

“Hi!” she piped.

“Hey.” Eve said. “What are you doing?”

“Oh.” Cassandra said with a laugh, realizing how ridiculous she must have looked. “Jacob had to start taking extra help during free period and we couldn’t do our study sessions anymore, so we started doing this thing where we give each other sticky notes with fun facts on them. And I’m hanging all the ones he gave me on my wall.”

“Uh huh.” Eve nodded, trying to stop herself from smiling too big. “I see.”

“Yup!” Cassandra piped. She turned to the wall and continued hanging sticky notes.

“Anything else you wanna tell me?” Eve asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Did anything exciting happen today? Do anything fun with Jake?”

“Not really.”

“Alright Red.” Eve sighed. “Dinner in 10 minutes okay?”

“Okay!”

Eve walked out of the room and shook her head in disbelief.  Sometimes, she swore her sister was completely and totally blind.

* * *

 

            Gale Jenkins sat down in the teacher’s lounge of Wexler High with his lunch, near his colleagues. Gwen Moore and Charlene and Arthur Judson all seemed to be having a lively discussion.

“If it hasn’t happened at this point it’s not going to happen” Gwen argued.

“Oh don’t be so negative Gwen,” Charlene complained. “They’re teenagers. You have to give these things time!”

“All I’m saying is I’ve seen them pair up on projects, sit next to each other, I’ve put them together whenever I assign partners…and they haven’t changed anything yet.”

“I’m sorry…” Jenkins stuttered. “What are we talking about?”

“It seems my wife and Mrs. Moore have taken to discussing the relationship between Jacob Stone and Cassandra Cillian.” Arthur explained, shaking his head slightly towards Jenkins.

“Charlene thinks they’re going to be a couple.” Gwen complained.

“We’ve all seen them in class together!” Charlene argued. “I rarely ever see one of them without the other anymore.”

“All I said,” Gwen said defensively. “Is that if they haven’t become a couple yet, they won’t. I think enough time has passed that we can establish them as just friends.”

Arthur shook his head and turned to Jenkins.

“So how’s class going Gale?” he asked, ignoring the women, who continued to argue.

“Oh same as usual.” Jenkins sighed. “A bunch of kids who don’t pay attention.” He sipped his tea with a grumble.

“Kids these days.” he complained. “All they care about is their snap-book and there face-gram.”

Arthur chuckled.

“Oh it can’t be all that bad,” he said. “I’m sure there are at least some kids who are dedicated.”

“Yeah, but they all end up the same. Amy Meyer used to be the top of my class. Now she spends the entire period texting her boyfriend.”

“Well I’m sure things are better now that Cassandra is back.” Arthur insisted.

“Yes.” Jenkins smiled. “She’s a sweet girl. I’m glad to see her doing so well.”

“And I hear from all the teachers that Jacob Stone is performing well too.”

“Yes that was quite a pleasant surprise.”

“I always knew he had more in him.”

The two men looked over at the women sitting with them, still chatting feverishly.

“Well” Arthur said. “If there is any truth to their gossip…I’d say both those kids deserve it.”

There was a moment of silence, both of them simply eating their lunch. Then, Arthur leaned discreetly over to Jenkins.

“So what do you think?” he whispered. “Everything everyone’s saying about Jacob and Cassandra…is it true?”

Jenkins rolled his eyes. He was just about to start answering when suddenly the door to the teacher’s lounge swung open, bringing with it the sound of loud giggling.

The group looked over to the doorway to see Jacob and Cassandra stumbling into the room, both of them smiling wide and laughing hysterically. It took them a moment before they seemed to realize that all they eyes in the room were on them. Their laughter died down as they awkwardly stood at attention.

“Sorry” Cassandra chuckled. “Mr. Carsen asked us to drop these papers off for you Mrs. Judson.”

“Thank you Cassandra.” Charlene said, smiling as she rose from her seat.

Cassandra began to walk towards her, but tripped over the leg of a chair. She let out a yelp, and just as she was about to hit the floor, Jacob was there, underneath her, catching her in his arms. He looked concerned, and soon they were both chucking nervously.

“I uh….I just tripped.” Cassandra stuttered.

“Yeah.” Jake said.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

After taking a moment to adjust, Cassandra handed the papers to Charlene. The two friends nodded and smiled at their teachers before turning and walking away. Jacob held the door for Cassandra, and everyone saw his hand discreetly rest on her waist to lead her forward.

Once the room was empty again, Charlene, Arthur and Gale all looked at Gwen.

“What?” she said, feigning naivety.

“Just friends Gwen?” Charlene said, picking up her lunch again. “Keep telling yourself that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your continued love and support as always! Exciting things are coming on Sunday! But what could they be? *walks away discreetly humming Here Comes The Bride*


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the week hiatus! Finals had me super busy, but the semester's over now and summer has officially begun! This chapter got super long, but I guess that's good now considering I've been gone a while. Enjoy!

Jake sat in an uncomfortable wedding chair, bouncing his leg up and down. He felt very out of place. He didn’t know anyone here, and he’d never been to a wedding either. Jones was being no help; he’d barely said a word since they’d sat down almost 45 minutes ago; he’d just been playing games on his phone the entire time.

He’d tried looking around the room a bit, but that only made things worse: his teachers were everywhere. Mr. and Mrs. Judson sat right across the aisle from him and Jones, close to the front. Mr. Jenkins was a couple of rows behind him. He should’ve expected it; Flynn was the school Librarian, of course there were teachers there. Still, he couldn’t help but feel frozen with all of his teachers surrounding him.

Suddenly, a light rendition of _Jesu Man of Joys Desiring_ began to play, and everyone’s heads turned to the back of the room. Jones didn’t look up from his phone, causing Jake to smack him in the arm.

“Jones!” he scolded through his teeth.

“Oww!” Ezekiel exclaimed. “What was that for?”

“It’s starting”

Jake pointed a finger at the back of the aisle. An older woman, who he assumed to be Flynn’s mother, was walking down the aisle, led by a younger man who Jake didn’t recognize. The bridal party started coming then, all women who must’ve been friends of Eve’s, arm in arm with men who must’ve been friends of Flynn’s.

There was a pause, and then suddenly someone familiar was making her way down the aisle. Cassandra walked gingerly down the aisle, clutching a bouquet of daisies and carnations. She wore a light scoop-neck pink dress, which flowed straight down to just below her knee. Her hair was curled fancier than normal, and a section of it was pinned back delicately behind her ear.

Jake’s jaw fell to the floor. Everything else in the room had disappeared. He couldn’t even begin to think straight; she was breathtaking. He should’ve expected a moment like this to happen; he knew she was the maid of honor. But nothing could have prepared him for how much of an absolute vision she was. He’d never seen anyone else look so beautiful in his life.

He didn’t even realize how visibly frozen he was until he felt a slap to his arm.

“Owe!” he proclaimed.

“Just returning the favor.” Ezekiel teased. “Oh, and you might wanna cut the puppy-dog eyes; she’s getting close”

“I don’t know what….” Jake began, trying to deny Ezekiel’s claim, but he didn’t get the change to finish his sentence; Cassandra was right next to them.

She turned and smiled, and flashed them a tiny wave. Jake’s hand rose only halfway, and his finger inched forward awkwardly. Then, she was gone again, now standing on the altar and focusing her energy to Flynn.

On the altar, Cassandra was trying to keep her composure and not to blush. She’d seen the way Jake was looking at her, and she couldn’t help but be giddy over it. It didn’t help that he looked incredibly handsome in his sweater vest and tie.

Cassandra’s attention changed focus as the doors at the back of the church closed and everyone stood to wait for the bride. The music switched to _The Bridal Chorus_ , and the doors opened to reveal Eve. Cassandra held up her bouquet to hide her mouth and suppress her squeals. Flynn, however, was rendered completely weak at the knees.

Eve was wearing a halter-neck dress that fit her tightly down to her knee. Her hair fell straight down, a small piece of it pinned into a bejeweled clip, and she wore the tiniest and most delicate of veils. She had plain white pumps and, like Cassandra, carried a bouquet of red carnations and daisies.

She couldn’t stop smiling as she made her way further and further down the aisle: her two favorite people were waiting for her at the altar, and one of them was about to become her husband.

She finally reached the end of the aisle and Flynn stepped out to greet her.

“Hi.” he said giddily.

“Hi.” she replied.

Slowly, she linked her arm through his and they walked forward together to face the minister.

“Dearly beloved,” he began. “We are gathered here today to join together in holy matrimony, Eve Cillian and Flynn Carsen.”

Cassandra couldn’t suppress an ounce of her smile, so much so that little giggles escaped her. She held up Eve’s bouquet to cover her mouth this time. She listened carefully as the minister went on about marriage and love. She’d gotten to see Eve and Flynn’s relationship unfold from day 1, for the past six months right within her own home. She’d never been more excited to see two people together.

She turned to look at Jake and Ezekiel, both of whom were watching with wide eyes. They’d been there for so much of this ride with her. Even though it had only been a few months, she felt like she’d known them through everything.

Jake caught her eye and smiled at her again, causing the blushing to return to her cheeks. She smiled back at him then turned to Eve and Flynn again, reminding herself that she had responsibilities.

A wedding: what a beautiful thing to be a part of.

* * *

 

            Later that night, it was the middle of the reception, just before dinner. Cassandra stood next to the bridal party’s table and gently tapped the microphone.

“Hi!” she whispered. No one quieted down.

“Excuse me!” she tried again. Her voice, ever so timid, still did not carry far enough through the room.

Cassandra shrunk back, embarrassed to be failing at such an important task. Suddenly, she heard a spoon clinking on a glass, and the same sound soon filling the whole room. Everyone’s attention was on her now. Grateful, she turned to where she’d originally heard the clinking and saw a quiet Mrs. Judson nodding at her with a small smile. Cassandra mouthed a quick thank you before turning to the crowd.

“Hi!” she said. “For those of you who don’t know me I’m Cassandra: Eve’s little sister. And I’m the maid of honor…obviously…so uh…I guess I’m supposed to make a speech now!”

Cassandra felt hot, knowing that every pair of eyes in the room was watching her. She hated making speeches. Project presentations were the only part of class she ever dreaded. As soon as there were eyes on her she was afraid those eyes were judging her, and when she was afraid of that she froze. But this was for Eve, so she took a deep breath and continued.

“Um…I have known Eve since I was a baby…but that’s pretty obvious.” She waited for laughs, but nothing came. She wrung her hands then as she tried not to sink away with nervousness.

“I’ve known Eve since I was a baby and she was always there for me, always through anything. And when you think about marriage, you think about two people being there for each other, always, through anything. So really, there’s no one I know more suited to be a wife than Eve…That’s not to say that she couldn’t do perfectly fine independently.”

Cassandra felt hotter and hotter as she felt the stares that were on her growing more intense, the people waiting for something to start getting under way. She wanted to throw up. She’d come so close to saying something nice, of finding an easy rhythm, and then she’d managed to screw it up again. She took a deep breath and tried a new approach.

 “I remember when Eve and Flynn met.” she said, smiling now because of the memory she’d tapped into. “I was 14, I’d just started the ninth grade. My parents got caught at some work seminar and forgot to pick me up at school. And I’d been waiting there for 2 hours, and Flynn had offered to take me into the library with him.”

Everyone had seemed to focus now, but Cassandra still couldn’t tell if she was doing well. She looked over to Eve, who pushed forward her hands to urge her to go on.

“After the school couldn’t get in contact with our parents, they called Eve, and she came rushing over from work,” she had to stop as she laughed, remembering the day. “And Flynn had gone out in the hall to drop something off in the office. And when he came back, he was with Eve. And I still don’t know exactly what happened in that hallway, but Eve was smiling pretty goofily. I recognized what was happening right away, but she denied it no matter how much I teased her. And then, all of a sudden she was asking if she could pick me up every day.”

The room filled with laughter, filling Cassandra with more confidence.

“Two weeks later she had a date!” she chimed. “And now we’re here!”

Cassandra and everyone else laughed. She smiled widely and waited for the laughter to die down.

She planted her feet on the ground then and took a deep breath. She knew what she needed to say next.

“As most all of you probably know, Eve and I lost our parents.” A silence hung over the room again, now for a different reason, and for a different reason it was hard for Cassandra to push through. But she thought about Eve again and forced herself to continue.

“That was a really rough time for both of us. But for me, there was this whole other part of it that was hard, because I was still 16 years old then, and I was all alone. And anything could’ve happened to me. I could’ve ended up in a group foster home with people who didn’t care about me. But Eve and Flynn decided they weren’t going to let that happen.” She looked over to smile at the couple, and saw both of them looking at her with bright and encouraging eyes.

“They were a couple in their twenties, they hadn’t even been living together a year and they’d just gotten engaged, and suddenly they had _this_ on their hands. They didn’t have to take me; certainly no one would expect them to. I mean, a homeschooled teenager who’d just finished getting rid of a tumor being thrown into your life would be a hard obstacle for any couple, much less a young one like Eve and Flynn. But they didn’t care. They brought me to live with them anyway and they were both there for me just like Eve always had been. And their relationship never suffered. In fact, through my observations, I think the three of us being a family only managed to make them stronger.”

Cassandra chuckled and even felt a tear come to her eye. She looked up and everyone was smiling at her. Though she still felt like she was on fire, there was some sense of relief knowing that she was making it through.

“I could tell you lots of things about Eve and Flynn…” she said. “How they flirt like they walked straight out of a Disney movie, how they always kiss each other good morning and goodnight and hello and goodbye, how when one of them is upset they go right to the other one and I watch them hold each other until we’re all smiling again. All those things could show how they make a perfect married couple, but I think what I said before sums it all up: they’re everything a family should be. And we’re not your typical family, but I think we’re pretty darn great, and I think it’s largely because of them. And a strong family like us with strong people with them will certainly make their love even stronger than it already is. So I know they have lots of great years ahead of them.”

Cassandra looked over to Eve and Flynn, who were teary eyed. Flynn had his arms wrapped around Eve from behind. She smiled, feeling so much more relieved. She knew now that it didn’t matter how good or bad her speech was, or what anyone else thought of it. What mattered was the two people sitting there and how they felt about each-other, and how much they loved her as well.

“So,” Cassandra continued. “I’d ask everyone now to raise their glasses and join me in wishing a very happy day and an even happier life to Eve and Flynn.”

* * *

 

            The party was well underway. The dance was filled with wedding guests, though the bride and groom themselves were currently “taking a break”, feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries at the head table.

Cassandra hung by the edge of the dance floor, too worn out to continue dancing, too uncomfortable around Eve and Flynn to stay at her table.

“Hey.” a voice said from behind her.

She jumped, startled, and turned to see Jake standing there, holding out two glasses of Coke.

“I brought you a drink.” He said thrusting out one of the glasses to her.

“Thanks.” she said, smiling. They stood there together in silence for a few moments, quietly sipping.

“Nice Party.” Jake said.

“Yeah!” Cassandra exclaimed, quickly quieting when she realized how excited she’d gotten.

“I’ve never seen Jones like this.”

Jake indicated the dance floor, where Ezekiel was in the center of a huge group of the children of Flynn’s cousins, the life of the party.

“No.” Cassandra said. “It’s like someone cast a spell on him to make him _actually_ charismatic!”

They both laughed.

Just then, the DJ switched off the dance anthem, changing the mood with a slow song. Jake and Cassandra’s laughter quickly died down.

Jones left the dance floor as couples filled it.

“Hey!” he chimed as he passed Jake and Cassandra. “Did you see me out there? I was killing it!”

He ran straight to the bar, leaving Jake and Cassandra behind, laughing again. Not after long, silence filled the space again.

_When the visions around you bring tears to your eyes_

“What is this?” Jake asked, pointing at the DJ, who had his eyes closed and headphones on, and was dancing along rather passionately.

“N’Sync.” Cassandra said, trying not to laugh too hard at the sight.

“ _N’Sync_?” Jake questioned. “ _Really?_ ”

Cassandra nodded, holding her lips tightly together to avoid a smirk.

_And all that surrounds you are secrets and lies_

“I might remind you that Eve and Flynn grew up in the 90s.” she said.

“And Eve was into boybands?”

“Well not necessarily. It’s just a song of the times....” There was a pause.

_I’ll be your strength, I’ll give you hope, keeping your faith when it’s gone_

“But I can tell you that they were over when I was super little and yet I’ve still been hearing Eve blasting that music all my life.”

“Really?”

“I still have to hear it in the car!”

_The one you should call is standing here all along_

“Hey Cassie?” Jake said, stumbling though the tension.

“Yeah?”

He hesitated, and she stared at him in anticipation.

“Do you wanna dance?”

“Okay!” Cassandra agreed.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun!”

He held out his hand and she accepted it with a giggle.

_And I will take you in my arms and hold you right where you belong_

Jake lead Cassandra gingerly around the dance floor. Both of them took tiny steps and stared at their feet.

Cassandra made the first move to look up at him and he soon followed suit. Every ounce of tension in his body seemed to release as he looked into her eyes. He would’ve expected to get more nervous making eye contact, but her eyes were so bright, so beautiful, he felt more comfortable than he’d ever been with anyone. Her smile reflected all the bubbly brightness that she spoke with every day; he couldn’t help but smile back.

_This I promise you_

They moved more naturally then, though their steps were still small. Cassandra had never danced with anyone before, not even her father, but there was no trouble doing it with Jake It was as easy and simple as if she’d done it a million times before, but yet it still held that magic that she’d expected a first dance to have. Somehow she knew that that had entirely to do with who she was dancing with. Jake was so careful, so gentle, just like he’d been when they first met, just like he always was.

“Flynn!” Eve piped, smacking her husband on the arm. “Look! They’re dancing!”

Flynn looked to where Eve had been pointing on the dance floor. He saw Jacob and Cassandra laughing and moving in circles. He shot Eve a knowing look and leaned in to kiss her. She hung on his arm and laid her head on his shoulder as she watched the new love unfold. She’d been waiting for this for months.

_I promise you never will you hurt anymore_

Jake and Cassandra continued to dance, and it suddenly occurred to him how much fun he was having. There was no pressure. He didn’t feel like he had to make the moment perfect. It had very quickly evolved into something that was as easy as talking to her. Her smile indicated to him that she was having fun too. So as the chorus began again, he gave into it.

_Just close your eyes each loving day and know this feeling won’t go away_

Jake took Cassandra by the hand and nudged his head to indicate to her to spin. She squealed as she turned in a circle, and he found himself laughing as well. They swayed dramatically, and he spun her a few more times. They both panted to catch their breaths, their laughter not making the task any easier.

A few moments passed, and Jake became aware of the fact that Cassandra was starting to inch closer to him.

_Over and over I fall when I hear you call_

He thought for a moment that the easiness was melting away again. He felt butterflies stirring in his stomach. He thought his hands had started shaking. But then, suddenly, things started to calm again. It felt good to have her that near to him he realized, and not in the same way that it had felt good with Lamia. Well…not only in that way. Having Cassandra that close to him felt comforting. It felt right. He felt at home.

_Without you in my life baby, I just wouldn’t be living at all_

Cassandra didn’t know what had brought her to feel comfortable moving closer to Jake, so that their bellies were now practically touching. Never having danced before, she was surprised she’d even had a notion about what to do at all. But it just felt natural, like she was supposed to move that close to him.

No one had ever understood her like Jake did. Eve tried, and loved her, but she wasn’t as intellectual as Cassandra; she couldn’t understand the things that made Cassandra giddy with excitement, no matter how fully she accepted them. She’d never found anyone like Jake, who seemed to be like her perfect counterpart. She could go on for hours with him about the things she loved, and he would respond wholeheartedly, with responses that stimulated and challenged her. He was her best friend. It was almost like it was fate that they bumped into each other that day, or that Jake had moved to New York in the first place.

So it just seemed to happen: she wanted to be closer to him; she wanted to be closer to her best friend who made her feel so complete like that. Slowly, she inched closer. And then she remembered that she’d had feelings for him, a fact which she’d somehow managed to almost forget. And for a second she almost stopped, especially when she felt Jake freezing up. But no matter her fear, she couldn’t deny how right it felt moving forward.

And so they stayed like that for a few moments, close together like you saw in all the movies, swaying back and forth. He held her tightly and his chest was warm and comforting. Close to him like this, she felt as if she’d never been more comfortable. She felt safe from every force and everyone that had ever done her harm. And she couldn’t deny it at all anymore: it was all because of him. She _really_ liked him.

And she didn’t even have to think about her next decision. It was so perfectly natural, more natural than it had been to move close to him. She laid her head down to rest on his chest, cuddling into that warmth and safety, and that feeling of being so close to a boy who she wanted so much to be with.

He stopped moving, and she thought maybe that she’d done something wrong. But it couldn’t possibly be wrong, something that felt so perfect, and after all he hadn’t let go of her. So instead of pulling away, she looked up and smiled at him, as if posing a question and making a statement at the same time. After a moment he responded with a soft grin and pulled his arm around her. She closed her eyes as they moved around the floor for the last chorus of the song, closer than they’d ever been before, and right at home.

_Every word I say is true, this I promise you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens next for Jake and Cassie? See you Wednesday ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I squealed a lot writing this.

A month had passed since the wedding. It was a warm morning in the middle of March, and Jake ran frantically up to Cassandra’s locker.

“You got it?” she asked, turning right to him without a greeting.

“Yeah.” he answered breathily, holding out a white envelope.

Jake had called Cassandra the night before, panicking as he told her that his admissions letter from Georgetown had arrived. They’d applied there together a few months back, and now the moment had finally come that would decide both their fates. Cassandra’s letter had been waiting for her when she came home from school as well. They’d agreed to wait until they were together the next morning to open them.

Now that moment had come. They stood in the middle of an overcrowded hallway, five minutes left until they had to be in class, and still all they could do was stare at each other. Cassandra inhaled, and with a shaky hand, pulled her own envelope from her purse.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Not really.” she said.

“Me neither.”

“Together. On the count of three.”

They looked each other in the eyes, and didn’t even count out loud. Cassandra just nodded her head and half-mouthed a one. Jake followed with the same gesture, counting two. Then, together, they locked heir gazes even tighter and nodded together.

Then it was like ripping off a band-aid. As hesitant as they had been before, they were that frantic as they tore open their envelopes. Cassandra pulled out her letter and immediately unfolded it, allowing the envelope to fall to the floor. Jake had never looked at his letter, his eyes instead staying on Cassandra, who was now quickly scanning the words in front of her.

A few moments passed and she let out a yelp, her hand flying to her mouth. She met Jake’s eyes. He couldn’t see her expression, and he didn’t know what she was feeling.

“Well?” he asked.

“I got in.” she squeaked, practically at a whisper, tears breaking through.

“You got in?!” he exclaimed.

“I got in!”

“Oh my god Cassie!”

Forgetting everything else, and where they were, she bolted towards Jake and they wrapped their arms around each other. They were laughing, when suddenly Cassandra pushed away from him.

“Wait!” she yelled. “What about you?”

“Me?” Jake asked, made oblivious by his excitement.

“Did you get in?”

“Oh.” he realized. “I didn’t check yet. I was busy watching you.”

“Well!” she insisted, smacking his arm. “Go! Read it!”

“Alright!” he said, laughing and shoving her off.

He was so caught up in celebrating with Cassandra that he didn’t have time to be nervous. He almost didn’t realize the weight of what he was doing. He was just laughing, happily looking over the letter, not actually reading anything. And then words started to come to his attention _my pleasure to inform you…accepted into the class of 2021._

He froze still. He stopped laughing. It all hit him suddenly. He got into Georgetown. He was going to Georgetown University. He was going to one of the most renowned colleges in the country, among some of the smartest students. His life was about to change.

“Well?” Cassandra piped. But Jake said nothing.

“Jake?” she asked, a hint of concern now in her voice.

“I got in.” he whispered.

“Oh my…” she stuttered. “Oh my god! Jacob!!!!”

Jake smiled and looked up at Cassandra, who seemed even more excited than she had been before. Both hands were covering her mouth now, and she was squealing and jumping up and down.

Jake was still flabbergasted, unable to say anything, and Cassandra was too busy bouncing to say anything herself.

“Jake we got in!” she finally managed, her voice cracking and high-pitched.

“We’re going to Georgetown!” he said, excitement finally building in him now.

Cassandra let out a chuckle and moved to hug him again. This time, when Jake’s arms wrapped around her, he couldn’t help himself. He picked her up and spun her around in the air, earning a scream from her.

Heads turned from every direction in the hallway, teachers poked out of their classrooms, but Jake and Cassandra didn’t care. They were in their own world, a world of knowing that they were getting the chance to literally escape into a world of their own. They were chasing a newfound dream, and they were chasing it together.

When Jake brought her down from the lift, Cassandra didn’t lose her grip on him. She was so close to him, her arms tightly around his neck, still standing on her tippy-toes, and neither one of them moved to part. They panted, still catching their breath from the spin.

“You did it Jake.” Cassandra whispered, definitely teary by now.

“We did it.” he corrected her. “And I gotta say darlin’…none of it would’ve ever happened if it weren’t for you.”

Cassandra cried, still holding onto him. The embrace had lasted a long while now, and it grew more and more intimate with each passing moment, but neither one of them could even think about breaking it.

Realizations started to crash upon Cassandra in huge waves. She was going away to Georgetown with Jake. She was moving miles away from the only home she’d ever known, and she was going with this boy who she’d only just met in September, but who had also managed to become her best friend. She thought about what it would mean to be a world away with him: no one to stop them from doing anything, being within reach of each-other 24/7, parties where she knew people were known to do more than just mingle. There were possibilities in college. There were expectations in college. And she was going to college with Jake.

No one had ever looked at her the way he did. No one noticed her the way he did. No one understood her, no one appreciated her intellect….no one matched her like him. She’d been scared for a while about moving away from Eve, but with someone like that by her side, someone whose arms she was currently being held in, it was all becoming more exciting than scary.

Old feelings that she thought had been shut away, feelings that she’d been denying for weeks, months even, came bubbling to the surface in a brash reminder. She knew Jake had her back through anything and that she had his. Knowing that, feeling the warmth of him against her, and his breath on the back of her neck, it almost made her want to…

_Brrrrrriiiing. Brrrriiiiing._

A piercing sound rang through both their ear drums, finally pushing them apart. The world appeared around them again and they realized that the hallway was now half-empty.

“Shit.” Cassandra realized, reaching down to the floor to grab dropped papers. “Warning bell.”

Cassandra knew she had to run. Her class was 3 hallways away and she had less than a minute to get there. But when her eyes met Jake’s again, neither one of them moved. They stood there, staring at each other, and eventually smirking, both of them a little unsure and a little certain at the same time of what had just happened.

“I should um…” Cassandra stuttered, nudging her thumb in the direction of her classroom.

“Yeah.” Jake answered.

But still no one took a step.

Cassandra leaned forward, as if she were going to hug Jake, or maybe something more; she didn’t know. She didn’t know what she wanted. And her body was helplessly frozen, gesturing awkwardly and uncertainly towards an uncommon goal.

“Go to class Cassie.” Jake said, keeping a cool composure, though inside he was going even wilder than her. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

After all that trouble, Cassandra settled for a toothy grin and, slamming her locker shut, took off at a sprint down the hallway, towards a class that she was most certainly going to be late to. She turned towards Jake and threw her hands in the air.

“Georgetown!” she cheered, and then she was gone.

Jake didn’t even take a step. He just stood there and watched her run away, and then stared at the spot where she’d last been. His first period math class was certainly forgotten by now. He turned with a goofy, daydreaming air about him and started off down the hallway. He was going to Georgetown University…with the girl of his dreams.

The late bell rang, and he threw his fist up into the air in a declaration of victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't fully understand just how much you've lost control of your characters until Jake decides to go all 80s movie on you. More to come on Sunday! Thank you for all your continued love and support as always.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna say anything. I'm just....here you go. Longer chapter today

“Eve!” Cassandra called, swinging the apartment door later that day. “We’re home!”

Eve, who had come home early from work to hear the news from Cassandra, came in from the kitchen.

“Tell me!” she exclaimed. “Tell me right now come on!”

Flynn came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. They’d both been there when Cassandra had received her letter from Georgetown. Despite numerous tries and lots of nagging, they weren’t able to get her to open it then, and had been anxiously awaiting to hear the result all day.

Cassandra and Jake put their bags down, turned to each other and smirked.

“Go ahead.” Jake said to her.

She turned to Eve and Flynn and waited a moment, reveling in the humor of watching them stare at her a bit longer.

She pulled out her hands, which she’d had behind her back, to reveal her acceptance letter and hoisted it up into the air.

“I got in!” she exclaimed.

Eve and Flynn screamed and she rushed forward to hug them. Jake watched on, the two of them squeezing Cassandra tightly, Eve wiping tears from her eyes. Cassandra was so happy, and they were so happy for her, and seeing it all Jake couldn’t help but smile too. Cassandra deserved this, more than he did really. Unlike him, she’d stood tall and proud through all the crap life had thrown her, and now she was getting rewarded for it.

The little family was consumed with each other, as they should be, and he felt he should let them have their time. He turned to walk out of the apartment, back to his own home where he knew he’d be met with scorn. He tried to stay happy, thinking about what his mother might say to him, when suddenly he heard Eve call to stop him.

“Wait! Jake! What about you?”

He turned and, to his surprise, Eve and Flynn were staring at him with just as much excitement as they’d had for Cassandra. Cassandra was smiling brighter than anyone, standing underneath Flynn’s arm; she was the only one there who knew what he was about to say. He looked at all these people, looking at him with so much pride and joy, and his face lit up as he told them what he had to say.

“I got in too.” he said.

Flynn cheered and Cassandra started jumping up and down. Eve squealed and then, unexpectedly, came forward to hug him. He startled as she brought him into an embrace, but it wasn’t long before he found himself accepting it.

How someone who could be so kind as Eve Carsen he had no idea. She’d met him only months ago, and he was nothing more than her little sister’s friend, and here she was hugging him like he was her own adopted child. His head fell on her shoulder. He didn’t want to think about if it was weird or not: he’d never gotten anything like this before.

Eve broke the embrace after a while, but held him firmly by the shoulders and smiled at him before completely walking away. At that moment, Finn opened his arms to pull him into a hug, which was more quick and friendly, but it meant something to Jake none the less.

“We have to go out and celebrate!” Eve proclaimed then, clapping her hands together. “Come on grab your coats I don’t care if it’s lunch time we’ll have a big early dinner, and then we’ll go get ice-cream after and make popcorn and cookies here. We’ll get so stuffed you won’t even feel the need to snack tomorrow.”

“Well I’ll get going then.” Jake said. “Let you all enjoy your evening.”

“No!” Eve yelled. “You’re coming too! You both got in; this is huge! Call up Ezekiel if you want too! Call Lucy, and Amy, and Amy’s boyfriend; what’s his name?”

Cassandra walked over to Jake and leaned to whisper in his ear.

“She’s gone crazy” she said, laughing. She slapped him in the arm, waiting for a reaction, but he said nothing. He didn’t even hear her.

People had always described to him what it was like having a family. He read it in books and saw it in movies, but he’d never felt it. When he was younger he thought that all those wonderful things were just fiction, and that everyone’s life was like his. As he got older that naivety faded away, but this was something different. Now, for the first time, he felt like he had it: a home.

* * *

 

Later that evening, Jake, Cassandra, Eve, Flynn and Ezekiel sat in a nearby restaurant. It was a Vegas themed pizzeria, complete with checkered tablecloths _and_ game tables. A half-finished pizza was on the table. Eve and Flynn sat on one side of their booth and Jake, Cassandra and Ezekiel sat on the other.

Jake and Cassandra were sitting close to each other, their thighs touching. There was a conversation happening, and Ezekiel was engaged with Eve and Flynn, but neither of the two of them was paying attention. There were no actual words being exchanged, just giggling and talking with their eyes.  Something happened in the hallway that morning, and they both knew it. The crowded restaurant and the friends around them prevented them from doing anything about it.

“Cassandra!” Cassandra turned and suddenly became aware of the fact that everyone at the table, namely Eve, was staring at her and Jake.

“Huh?” she asked.

“I’ve called you like five times Red!” Eve said.

“Woops.” Cassandra giggled. “Sorry.”

She looked down to try to avoid looking at Jake again, or rather to hide from everyone that she had been looking at Jake. But it was no use. Their eyes met again and she snorted before bursting into hysterical laughter.

Eve and Flynn shot each other a knowing glance before he kissed her on the temple and reached forward to grab another slice of pizza. Ezekiel, fourteen and oblivious, took a sip of his soda and asked something about whatever the conversation had been before.

In that tiny little restaurant booth, with five people having at least four different conversations, a disturbance suddenly arose: the buzzing of a phone on stiff leather. No one heard it, save for Jake, whose leg it was underneath.

He looked down at his phone to see a text from his mother lighting up the screen.

_Are you coming home for dinner?_

Immediately he felt his throat tighten. He’d gotten so wound up in celebrating, allowed himself to become so happy, that he’d completely forgotten about one important detail: telling his family. He silenced, staring into space, and every muscle in his body clenched as he thought about his father’s screaming, his little sisters’ confused, but scared eyes, his mother, sitting down and helpless and unwilling to do anything to change it.

He felt his hand being squeezed, and he looked over to see Cassandra’s eyes, slightly teary. She was staring right at him; she must’ve seen what happened.

“She is going to be so proud of you Jacob.” she whispered. 

He looked down at their hands; only in the back of his mind did it register that it was the first time they’d held them like this. A million thoughts fought for dominance. But right now the one reigning victorious was the one that had already been plaguing his mind.

He looked back at Cassandra and smiled at her. He forced himself to think about her, and all the things they’d get to do together. He forced himself to think about how what his family thought didn’t matter if he had her. He forced himself to think about how she brightened every day with her smile, how she made him feel like he could do anything.

And he forced himself to push his father to the back of his mind.

* * *

 

            A while passed and now milkshakes in giant glasses were in front of everyone. Jake and Cassandra were sitting with his arm around her now, her head resting on his shoulder. After his brief text-fiasco, the conversation had picked up, and he’d let himself get comfortable again. Things became easier when Cassandra had started to lean her head toward his shoulder. Slowly he’d lifted his arm and put it around her, and it hadn’t taken long at all for them to settle that way.

Now things were starting to steady again. He was going to be okay, he thought. This was what he was heading towards: a family of his own, and friends, and people who were proud of him…and his arm around Cassandra.

“So Red,” Eve said, leaning forward. “Have you thought about what you’re gonna major in?”

“Oooh!” Cassandra piped. “I haven’t really thought about it. There’s so many options. Biology is of course always an option, or maybe education…but OOH Astronomy could be _so_ much fun.”

Eve and Flynn laughed, but Jake couldn’t take his eyes off of her. How did she do it? How was she so passionate, so bubbly about everything. How was one person so incredibly wonderful?

“What about you Jacob?”

Jake turned to Eve, who was now staring at him with expectation.

“Oh.” he said. He hadn’t expected the question.

This was new. This was something he hadn’t thought about before: a major. He always thought he’d just be going to school for football, maybe get a business degree. But choosing a major…when did a Stone have the opportunity to choose a major?

“Oh with your brains I bet you’ll both be going for doubles.” Flynn said.

“Doubles?” Cassandra laughed.

“Yeah. Cassie you’ll do Math and Astronomy and Jake will go for History and Art History.”

Everyone laughed and Cassandra tugged at Jake’s arm, but he gulped and started to freeze again. Jacob Stone, majoring in Art History and History. A Stone man, a man period, going to art school. He knew what his father would have to say about all of it, what his father had been discreetly saying about it since he was a little boy.

“Just don’t spend too much time holed up in your dorms you two.” Ezekiel teased. “Some minor social interaction is possible too you know.”

Cassandra practically snorted, but still Jake didn’t laugh. Was that really who he was becoming: the type of person his father had always taught him to look down upon, that he was taught the whole world looked down upon? Was he really letting himself become happy as that person? Because he was happy now, he knew it. But why was he happy when all his life he’d only been told to expect the opposite.

“Well, I propose a toast.” Eve said. She lifted her milkshake glass and indicated for everyone to do the same.

“To Jake and Cassandra. You two worked so hard with so many hurdles in front of you, but you overcame them all, and now you’re moving on to a bright future.”

“To Jake and Cassandra!” Everyone cheered, glasses clinking, and icecream spilling on the table.

Jake didn’t move.

“Excuse me.” he said. “I uh…I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Are you okay?” Cassandra asked. “That’s the third time you’ve gone to the bathroom in the past thirty minutes.”

“I’m fine.” Jake lied, slipping out of the booth. “Small bladder that’s all.”

In a flash he was gone. Conversation at the table halted as everyone could sense that something was not right. Cassandra watched Jake carefully. She’d watched him go to the bathroom before: he’d turned left; he turned right now.

“Everything okay Cassie?” Eve asked. She’d seen her sister’s fixed eyes and worried expression.

“That’s not his _okay_ face.” Cassandra said. “And he’s not headed towards the bathrooms.”

Cassandra pushed past Ezekiel out of the booth and went in the same direction Jake had just gone. As she turned a corner, she looked through the restaurant’s twists and turns and weighed her options. Not too far from her was the front door. Thinking it was her best option, she jogged past all the families eating dinner, smiled at the matordee, and went outside.

She found Jake, just as she’d expected. He was leaning against the wall with his head in his hands. She heard panting, and even breathy tears.

“Jake…” she said gently, approaching him.

“Cassie.” he said, turning startled. “What are you doing? Go inside its cold.”

“I could say the same of you!”

“Cassie…”

“I’m fine.”

There was silence for a few moments. Jake sniffed and didn’t meet her eye. Cassandra stared at him, not sure of where his head was at and not sure of what she could or should say.

“I can’t do it Cassie.” he whispered.

She sighed, thinking he was speaking about the text he’d gotten from his mother earlier. She placed her hand on his back and rubbed gentle circles into it.

“Of course you can do it.” she said. “I mean your Dad is gonna be rough, but you’re strong. And your Mom is gonna be _so_ proud. You’ve got this I know you do…”

“Cassie…”

“I’ll go with you if you want! Moral support, yeah. Sure they’ve never met me, but I’ll be there anyway. Introduce me however you want.”

“Cassie…”

“And if anyone has anything bad to say about it I’ll put them in their place!”

“Cassandra!” his voice raised a bit now, causing her to jump back.

He looked at her, seeing her scared, and hesitated before softening his voice.

“I don’t mean that I can’t tell my parents. I mean I can’t do _this_.”

He waved his hand around, indicating the blank space all around him. Cassandra was starting to get the bigger picture now, though she didn’t want to admit it to herself.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. She stayed where she was. Her voice didn’t change in tone nor volume. She didn’t want to believe what she now understood was coming.

“I can’t go on and live this life.” he said. He looked out into the street rather than at Cassandra. “I can’t estrange myself from my family more than I already have. I can’t be the guy that I was never supposed to be.”

“Jake please.” Cassandra said desperately. “You’re tired, you got a lot of news today, you’re nervous just go home and get some sleep.”

She approached him and attempted to grab his arm but he pushed her away.

“I’m sorry Cassie.” he said, though their gazes had still not met. “I really am. But I can’t go to Georgetown with you and I can’t keep coming to your house all the time and I just…I can’t.”

There were a few more moments of silence, both of them absorbing what had just happened, wallowing in their own emotions and fears and hopes and losses. Cassandra looked at Jake, and she still saw all the promise of new future that she’d always seen when she looked at him. She still saw her safe place, her home, her favorite person, her best friend. Except now she saw it all crashing down in front of her at the same time, like glorious Pompeii burning to the ground.

“So now this again.” she said. No matter how hard she’d tried to avoid it, fear and pain took her over. Tears came to her eyes and her voice hardened. “You running from me and who you really are because you’re too scared to try anymore, despite the fact that I’ve proven to you over and over that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“It’s not that simple Cassie!”

“But it can be!”

With that, full on cries started to escape her. She couldn’t believe this: after everything, all her worst initial fears had ended up coming true anyway. He really was just like everyone had told her. How could it be ending? How could he be doing this to her?

“Come on Cass don’t cry.” He said, finally turning to her.

“If you don’t want me to cry stop giving me a reason to!” she yelled.

“Don’t put that on me!”

“Oh so what?! I’m supposed to pretend like it’s my fault?!”

The match had been thrown and now came the big ugly flames, spreading through them, growing taller and roaring louder with everything that they said. Pain was starting to bury itself into their stomachs as anger rose to the surface, replacing it in their words.

“What about everything Jake?” Cassie said. “Not just Georgetown and your career what about _everything_ you’re throwing away. The hallway today, I thought….and in there…you had your arm around me! What about Christmas and New Years and the dance at the wedding!”

“Cassie please don’t do this.” Jake’s voice was weak as if he were going to cry. “You don’t know how much I like you. You don’t know how much you mean to me, how much this hurts!”

“No!” Cassandra yelled, backing away further. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to pine and turn me into your ‘manic pixie dream girl’ just because you’re so scared of standing up to your father for five seconds that you’re willing to throw away everything that’s ever made you happy.”

Cassandra hurt inside now not only for herself, but for Jake as well. She couldn’t believe the things she was saying to him, how she was hurting him, and at the same time she couldn’t stop herself from saying them.

“No!” Jake yelled, his top finally blowing. “You don’t get to say things like that. You know I get that you’ve been through a lot of crap, believe me I respect that, but you need to stop pretending like you understand everything I’ve been through. Poor you, you got bullied, but in the end you had a family to go home to that loves you. You’ve got an older sister who hugs you when you cry, you had parents who probably hung your artwork up on the refrigerator door. Up until you got your tumor you had the perfect little white-picket fence life. You have no idea what it’s like to live your entire life with a father who doesn’t even love you!”

“You don’t know Jack Shit!” Cassandra screamed. Tears were pouring down her face now. Her face was beet red, her eye makeup ran down her face, she felt like she was in an oven. They were starting to draw the attention of passer-byes.

“I never told you about my parents.” she said through her teeth. “I didn’t want you to pity me more than I already knew you did. _That’s_ how bad it was. Do you know what it was like growing up in my house? Remember the story about only believing in Santa until I was three? That was the least of it. Eve wasn’t smart like them, but I was. In fact, I was ten times smarter. I was their little academic super star and that’s all that mattered. I was bullied in school because I never had any friends because I wasn’t _allowed_ to have them. I never had a friend over to play Barbies, never had a sleep-over, never went to a single birthday party, never even had a single birthday party of my own.

“You know I moved in with Eve when my parents died but you don’t know that it was gonna happen anyway. We’d been talking about it for two years: the moment I turned eighteen I was gonna pack my stuff and leave my parents’ house and move in with her, because she didn’t want me to be miserable for my entire life. I couldn’t watch cartoons and my mother never took me to the mall and I couldn’t even have a goddamn lollipop!”

Cassandra was broken, sobbing, every limb shaking.

“Cass…” Jake said. He reached for her and went to put his hand on her shoulder. No matter how angry he’d been, the sight of her sobbing in front of him was humbling. All he wanted to do was make it better. As soon as he’d made contact, she’d pushed him away.

“Cassie I’m sorry.”

“Just go.” she cried. “You wanna leave me so badly just go.”

“Cassie.” He was back to whispering. His voice was tiny, and appropriately, because he felt about three inches tall.

“Please.” she cried, her voice quiet now too. “Please go.”

Jake stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. All he could think was that it was over. He’d messed up. He hoped that even if he changed his life she could still be in it, but he’d thrown that chance away in one foul swoop. After a moment, he walked down the block to where his truck was parked, leaving his new life behind him, trying to keep the tears from his eyes for when he saw his father.

Cassandra moved to the wall where Jake had been before and curled up in a ball, her arms wrapping around her middle. She pulled her cardigan more tightly around her. Jake had been right before; she’d left her jacket inside and the black and white polka-dot dress she’d changed into was hardly enough to keep her warm from Long Island’s chilly nighttime air.

She heard footsteps next to her and half expected it to be Jake. She looked up and saw Flynn standing there, looking at her horrified.

“I came looking for you two when you were taking so long.” he said.

Cassandra didn’t utter a word, but simply flew into his arms before crying right into his jacket. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, one hand carefully cradling her hair.

“What happened?” he asked. “Where’s Jake?”

“Just take me home.” she cried. “Please just take me home.”

Flynn took off his jacket and wrapped it around Cassandra’s shoulders before calling Eve to tell her to pay the bill and come outside. Once he’d hung up he grabbed Cassandra again and held her as tight to him as he possibly could. He didn’t know what had just transpired, but anyone who’d been through it before knew exactly how to recognize the look of heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to write. Yikes. Just yikes to the tenth power. Don't kill me, I'll see you Wednesday, happy Mother's Day if you're a mom or have a mom, and as always, thank you for your continued love and support!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this is a day late. I've been busy and totally forgot! Enjoy the chapter!

That night had been a Friday. All weekend, for the first time since October, Cassandra’s phone had not received a single text from Jake. She’d sat in her room, barely talking to anyone. She’d come out when Eve would call her for meals, and all the time she’d sit and stare down at her plate until she was finished.

Eve had been staring at Flynn worried the entire time. She knew what this was about, and was sure it would pass, but to see her little sister this devastated was heartbreaking. She just wanted to make it better, to get her back to herself again, but she couldn’t help her if she wouldn’t talk.

Now it was Monday and Ezekiel and Cassandra sat on the bus on their way to school. The conversation had been light, Cassandra mostly still stuck in silence.

“Come on Cassandra,” he sighed. “It’ll be okay. I know it sucks now, but you’ll just forget him. You’ll go to Georgetown and meet some new guy and then you two can be brilliant together. You can make lots of friends…so long as you don’t forget about me.”

He elbowed her with his last remark, trying to get her to laugh. He won a weak smile, but it didn’t last very long. The bus parked and they started to walk out.

“Thanks Ezekiel.” she said. “But I’m not going to Georgetown.”

“What?” he exclaimed. “What do you mean you’re not going?!”

“I can’t move all the way to Virginia by myself! I never would’ve considered it before. Going with Jake was a different story.”

“Come on Cassandra!” Ezekiel insisted. “You can’t just let some jerk ruin all your hopes and dreams. Isn’t that exactly what you were trying to tell him?”

“Ezekiel…” Cassandra sighed.

“What? Tell me what I said that was wrong or a lie.”

“He’s not a…he’s not a jerk.”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Cassandra sighed and turned to her friend.

“I’ll be okay.” she said. “For now let’s just stop talking about it okay? But thank you.”

Ezekiel smirked and she moved forward to hug him. No matter what happened, she was reminded every day that she’d made real friends here, friends that she could count on. That was a good feeling. She’d only just parted from Ezekiel when she heard rapid heavy, footsteps approaching them. Suddenly, forces crashed into them from both sides. She turned, laughing, to find Lucy and Amy wide-eyed and bouncing up and down on their heels.

“How come you didn’t answer my texts this weekend?!” Lucy exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Amy agreed. “We were betting with each other on what happened all weekend. Tell us everything!”

“What do you mean ‘what happened’?” Cassandra asked as they all walked to the lockers.

“Everyone saw you and Jake in the hallway Friday morning.” Lucy explained.

“You’re the talk of the campus!” Amy added.

“So…spill!”

“Yeah! Did you get _pinned_?”

“ _Pinned_?” Cassandra asked.

“Forgive her she’s been listening to too much _Bye Bye Birdie_ ” Lucy said.

“Well _excuse me_ ” Amy objected. “Auditions are this week and I’ve been busy practicing.”

“Since when do you audition for the school musical?”

“Since my boyfriend is first chair in the pit orchestra and he asked me to. I’m gonna be the next Kim Macafee!”

“Ignore her.” Lucy said. “What happened with Jake?”

Cassandra’s laughter died down and she rocked back and forth on her feet.

“Jacob’s not gonna be coming around anymore.” she said quietly, before rushing quickly forward.

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked. “You two have been dancing around each other since before he broke up with Lamia.”

“He freaked out about telling his parents about Georgetown and so he decided he wasn’t going to go, and that he wasn’t gonna come by my house either.” Her tone was colder now, shifting the energy of everyone in the group.

“Oh Cassie…” Lucy said, reaching for her. Cassandra pulled away from her.

“Please just leave it be.” she said. “I’m fine.”

Ezekiel exchanged a look with Lucy and Amy to let them know that Cassandra was far from _okay_. He also made it clear not to push her. They were so busy looking at each other that they didn’t realize Cassandra stopped frozen in front of her locker, which they’d now reached.

Cassandra was shell-shocked. Taped to the front of her locker was a small piece of loose-leaf paper, adorned with signature sloppy hand-writing. She quickly skimmed it to read what it said.

_She walks in beauty like the night                                                                                                       Of cloudless climes and starry skies;                                                                                                                                     And all that’s best of dark and bright                                                                                                                                      Meet in her aspect and her eyes;_

_-Lord Byron_

When Cassandra saw the poet’s name, she knew immediately who’d left the note there. She wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved, or angrier than she already was. Quickly she ripped the note off of her locker, but her hand froze when she saw a pop of bright color on the back. Her hand shaking, she flipped it over. There, on the back of the page was a neon-green post-it note. Scribbled on it were the words:

_Fun fact: Yellow roses symbolize friendship and forgiveness_

Cassandra breathed out through her nose and a smile escaped her. She quickly reminded herself of what had happened the weekend before. She held the letter and started to open her locker, feeling down again after talking to Lucy had cheered her up. Whatever he was trying, all it did was to remind her of all the happy memories she was losing.

“Oh my god.” she heard Lucy say.

When she turned to ask her what was wrong, she jerked back with shock and her locker door slammed closed. Jake was standing in front of her holding a yellow rose.

“Jake…” she stuttered.

“Uh uh.” Ezekiel said. “What the hell do you think you’re doing after how you treated her Friday night?”

“Ezekiel…” Cassandra tried, seeing Jake’s face desperate and confused.

“No he’s right” Lucy said. All three of her friends stepped in front of her to protect her. She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or annoyed.

“Cassie please just listen to me.” Jake said.

Cassandra stood on her tippy-toes to try and say something, but before she could her friends were already speaking for her.

“She doesn’t wanna talk to you.” Lucy said. “You think you can just fix heartbreak with a letter?!....Wait, what did the letter say?”

Cassandra sighed with exasperation and handed Lucy the letter. Amy scooched close to read it over her shoulder and the two girls were wide-eyed before Lucy proclaimed.

“Ooh!”

“Guys!” Cassandra proclaimed. “Could you like maybe….leave us for a minute please?”

Lucy pouted but handed Cassandra the letter before grabbing Amy’s hand and walking away. Cassandra shook her head as she knew they’d be going to hide behind a nearby trashcan. Ezekiel stayed rooted in place. She wanted to laugh. He was so adorably protective, just like a little brother.

“Ezekiel.” she said, facing him. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

He hesitated a moment, but then nodded and walked away. He held Jake in a stern, cold gaze as he walked to join Amy and Lucy.

Jake and Cassandra looked at each other and chuckled. Their friends were nothing if they weren’t eccentric. Jake walked close to her and held out the rose. She walked away, wary of him and what his real intentions were.

“Cassie I’m really sorry…” he started.

“Jacob…” she interrupted her, crossing her arms. But she didn’t know what to say. What was she supposed to say to stop him? _You broke my heart the same day you nearly kissed me? You made me feel like I meant nothing after I showed you that you meant everything?_

“Cassie listen to me.” he insisted. “You were right the other night okay? I was scared and overwhelmed, and everything Eve and Flynn were saying about double majors and overcoming our obstacles, I flipped.”

“So come back to my house and ask me to make you some hot tea!” Cassandra snapped. “Your response to that is to run out into the cold and then tell me that we’re not friends anymore?”

“Cassie I was an idiot okay? I’m not trying to make excuses, because there are none. I acted like a jerk.”

“But I tried to be understanding Jake.” Cassandra argued. “I gave you so many chances to backtrack and you just kept pushing me away!”

“Cassie you haven’t known me very long, okay?” This drew Cassandra’s attention, and she finally looked at him straight on. He, however, was looking at the floor.

“I freak out when I’m nervous.” he continued. “I say things I shouldn’t, isolate people I care about…especially when it comes to stuff with my Dad.”

“Well seems we still have a lot to learn about each other.” Cassandra said softly.

They both looked away from each-other now, remembering the biggest moment of the fight three nights prior. It was becoming evident to her now, though she guessed she knew it all along, how stupid the fight had been. How had something that bad happened to two of them? They were _them_.

“We both said things we didn’t mean.” Jake said. “I think we can at-least agree upon that.”

Cassandra nodded. There was silence for a moment. It’s not that she didn’t want to say anything, but she didn’t know what the right thing to say was. But silence, playing the waiting game, was scary: she knew that first hand. She didn’t want to scare Jake anymore.

“I think we can both agree that yellow roses are really beautiful.”

She grabbed his wrist and smiled gently up at him. It took a moment, and he seemed shocked when he did, but he looked up at her, his eyes wide, and returned her smile. And then they were both just standing there, smiling like sappy idiots. But they couldn’t help it; they were back to themselves, and it was all either one of them had wanted.

“I liked the poem.” Cassandra said, still smiling, and now giggling tearfully.

“You know…uh…” Jake stuttered, he reached behind his head and ran his head through the back of his hair. “When I met you, that day in the hall after practice, I opened my Lord Byron book when I got into my car. I wanted to read a poem before I went home. And I came right upon that one, which happens to be my favorite. And I found it so funny.”

“Funny?”

“Not that the poem was funny. I found it funny that while I was reading it I couldn’t stop thinking of you.”

Cassandra bit her lip and looked away. Jake chuckled nervously.

“Is that weird?” he asked.

“No no keep going.” Cassandra joked. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

They both shared a moment of laughter before Jake looked at her more seriously again.

“I really am sorry Cassie.” he said.

“I’m sorry too.” she agreed, and took both of his hands in hers. “Let’s just, put it behind us. If I learned anything this weekend it’s that I can’t stand not being your friend.”

“So uh, Cassie, I was wondering, if you’re still willing, if I could take you up on that offer to come with me to tell my parents about Georgetown.”

“I’d love to.” Cassandra smiled.

“And maybe…” he paused, and she noticed him gulp. His hands were sweaty in hers too. “I mean we’re not gonna spend the whole evening telling my family. Maybe after-words we could grab a bite to eat or see a movie….or something.”

“Like a date?” She tried to suppress giggles. She wanted him to know she was serious.

“Only if you’re up for it.” He seemed concerned.

She took the rose from him and twirled it around in her fingers a bit, looking down at it and not at him. She could practically feel his stare on her, waiting for an answer; this was all proving to be too much fun. She looked up at him, biting her lip again, then let her cheek rise into a giant smile.

“Yes.” she said.

“Really?” Jake gasped.

“Don’t act so surprised!”

Jake rushed to hug her but then pulled back, not sure if it was the appropriate thing to do in the moment. He almost wanted to say “thank you”, but then what was there to thank her for? Cassandra was laughing hysterically watching him fumble around.

The first bell rang, drawing both their attentions.

“I have Math.” Jake said.

“Yeah.” Cassandra agreed.

“Can you uh….meet me at my place at 5:30?”

“Sounds good to me!”

“I’ll text you my address.”

“Okay!”

“Okay. See you then.”

Jake nodded at her before jogging the other way, still panting. Cassandra grabbed her books and held them tight to her. She turned slowly on her heel and did everything she could to not squeal in the middle of a crowded hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you Sunday


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I was gone on Sunday! I was busy packing for vacation, which is the reason my updates may get a bit spotty for the rest of the month. I'll try to keep up as best I can! But until then, you can keep up with some Jassandra fun on my Twitter at bookworm1018, where I'm making Jassandra magic moments in Disney! I'm taking requests of places you want them photoshopped and perhaps writing drabbles to go along on Tumblr. Now that all of that's said, thanks for your patience loves. And as reward I now present, finally,...JAKE AND CASSANDRA'S FIRST DATE. Enjoy. (Oh, and look out for another Leverage cameo because I'm trash but also because I've run out of Librarians characters.)

The doorbell rang in the Stone household. Cassandra stood anxiously at the door, her hands folded in front of her. The door swung open and she smiled brightly, expecting to see Jake standing there. Her face quickly switched to one of confusion when she saw a young girl staring at her. She looked around twelve, and had two blonde pigtails.

“Hi!” Cassandra said sweetly. “You must be Harper. Is Jacob home?”

“Jake!” the girl called bluntly. “There’s a girl here!”

Just like that, the girl was gone, running back to some other room. Cassandra was dumbfounded, but began to collect herself again when she heard loud footsteps coming down a staircase.

“I’ll be right there! Invite her in will ya?”

Cassandra giggled. He was adorable when he was frazzled.

“Harper? Why didn’t I hear a door closing? Harper Jane?”

Then, he was visible on the stairs, and Cassandra’s breath caught in her throat. He had on a polished button-down and a brown leather jacket. Her heart beat a little bit heavier; he was so handsome. His eyes met hers from the top of the staircase, and he smiled. This earned a smile from her as well, and they were stuck like that for a while before he realized she was still standing outside, and rushed down the stairs.

“Hey.” he panted.

“Hi.” she stuttered.

“You look…”

“Oh,” she scoffed, embarrassed and brushing him off. “It’s nothing really.”

“No really.” Jake insisted. He took a deep breath to compose himself. “You look really wonderful Cassie.”

She was wearing a short-sleeved pink sundress with flowers all over skirt, with a white T-shirt underneath. Over it all she wore a blue, paneled leather jacket, and her hair was falling in her classic soft curls down on her shoulders. She wasn’t dressed-up any more than she ever was, and she had certainly been dressed fancier at the wedding, but today was something different, and Jake felt dizzy.

“Come in.” he said, gesturing towards the inside of the house. Cassandra smiled and squeezed shyly through the doorway.

“Sorry about Harper.” Jake chuckled. “I’m still trying to instill some more manners into her.”

“I’m sure she’s very sweet.” Cassandra said, laughing. “You said you have two sisters right?”

“Yeah. Ginny’s ‘round here somewhere.” He looked down at his feet for a moment. “Thanks for doin’ this Cassie.”

“It’s no problem Jake, really.” Cassandra said. “I’m happy to help. And I’m excited to finally meet your family.”

“Yeah well, hold that thought” Jake said.

They’d entered the living room then, and an older woman was sitting down on a lounge chair. Her hair was thin, but it was the exact same shade as Jake’s. She was reading a book, but looked up when she heard a noise. Cassandra saw it immediately and nearly gasped: Jake had her eyes.

“Jacob.” she said sweetly. “Who’s this?”

“Mom, this is my good friend Cassandra Cillian.” Jake said.

“Oh Cassandra.” his mother cooed. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you Mrs. Stone.” Cassandra said, smiling.

The woman was warm and sweet. Cassandra felt immediately welcome. The way his mother was reacting, the way he interacted with his sisters, Jake’s household seemed to be pulled straight from a movie. It rose the question of how bad Jacob’s father was to so harshly affect an environment like this.

“Y’all got plans tonight?” Mrs. Stone asked.

“Yeah we were gonna go see a movie.” Jake said. “Maybe go get some pizza.”

“You’re takin’ a girl on a date and you can’t even bother to go pick ‘er up Jake?” A voice sounded from the kitchen.

Cassandra turned to see an older man entering the room, scruffy looking, wearing an open flannel shirt and holding a beer: Jake’s father.

“What kind of man are you?” he continued. “Didn’t I raise ya right to pick up a girl from ‘er house?”

“I wanted to introduce her to ya pop.” Jake said. Cassandra could hear how he forced himself to be calm. “Didn’t make sense to go to her house and then bring her right back here.”

Issac Stone walked closer to them. Cassandra kept her composure, but immediately she felt Jake’s hand jerk and grab hers. He squeezed it tightly and she could feel how his muscles clenched. Knowing he needed her and horrified at the same time that he did, she squeezed back, the one form of communication she could offer him.

Jake’s father stared them up and down. He stood tall and firm and he had a tough look about him that chilled Cassandra to her core, and she’d only known him for less than five minutes. A clearer idea of what Jake’s life had always been came to her understanding. She wanted to take his hand and run, sprinting fast until they were as far away from here as they could possibly be.

“Who’s this?” Issac asked. “Latest bimbo off the cheerleading squad?”

Cassandra had promised herself that she wouldn’t blow up tonight, no matter how bad things got. Even wanting to protect Jake, she knew that getting too angry might only make things worse for him. But this was too far. And there were ways to express that without flying off the handle.

“Actually,” Cassandra said, letting go of Jake so that she could step forward. “I’m number three in the senior class, an honorary junior MENSA scholar, and I’ll be attending Georgetown University in the fall with a merit scholarship. Cassandra Cillian: nice to meet you Mr. Stone.”

Issac looked dumbfounded and a little bit wounded. Cassandra smirked proudly and cocked her eye at him before returning to Jake’s side. Her message had been received loud and clear: he had no power here tonight.

“Since when do you date braniac girls Jake?” Issac teased.

“Actually Pop,” Jake said. “I wanted to talk to you about that. Can we go sit down?”

Issac looked his son over, as if he were testing him. Cassandra never thought she’d experience this phenomenon for real, but it was like the room got colder just from the look in his eyes.

“Come into the dining room.” he grumbled.

Issac walked straight out and Jake’s mother began to rise from her chair. Jake waited to see if she needed any help, but once he saw she was okay and had a good hold on her cane, he followed his parents, still holding Cassandra’s hand as tightly as he possibly could.

Cassandra would later describe what happened in the dining room as one of the saddest and scariest things she’d ever witnessed. She’d talk about how Jake transformed into someone she didn’t know: not the scholar or the jock, but a timid little boy. She’d talk about how Jake’s father loomed over the room in complete control before he even stood up from his seat. What she wouldn’t talk about, but what she’d know more than anything, is that that was the very moment that she understood everything Jacob Stone had ever done.

* * *

 

                 Later that night, Jake and Cassandra were driving home from the local movie theater. After the disaster at his house, Cassandra had said they could reschedule the date, but Jake had insisted they go, saying that it would be the only thing that would make him feel better. So they went to their favorite pizzeria and shared a small pepperoni pie, making sure to wrap up the extra slices for Ezekiel. Cassandra had smirked and blushed when Jake refused her suggestion of buying garlic knots.

Jake wanted to pay for everything, but Cassandra said that movies were too expensive, so she’d buy the tickets and he could pay for all the popcorn if he wanted. Despite her objections to the price, he’d insisted they buy the largest popcorn the theater offered, as well as a box of Cassandra’s favorite candy and a package of Twizzlers to share.

Now Cassandra bounced up and down in her seat, occasionally batting at Jake’s arm, ranting and squealing about the movie. He laughed and smiled bigger than he had in weeks: he felt on top of the world.

“Oh my gosh it was so great!” Cassandra exclaimed. “Wasn’t it so great? What was your favorite part?”

Jake tried to say something, but Cassandra immediately cut him off, continuing to rant.

“I think my favorite part was the opening number. No the end! No the dance! No _Evermore_!”

“I’m glad you liked it Cassie.” Jake chuckled. He’d surprised her when he’d bought the tickets to _Beauty and the Beast_. She’d been dying to see it for as long as they were friends, and she didn’t know it was the movie he was taking her to.

“Ok enough about me.” Cassandra said. “Really: what was _your_ favorite part?”

Jake thought for a moment as Cassandra watched him with anticipation.

“I liked the scene in the library.” he finally said. “You know when Belle and Adam were reading together and talking about how they could escape from their troubles.”

“Really?” Cassandra asked. She’d never thought Jake to be the type for musicals, and she’d expected some answer about the battle scenes or the history of Paris.

“Yeah.” Jake stuttered. “It uh…it reminded me of us, when we used to go…you know…sit in the library and stuff.”

Cassandra felt herself blushing as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Once they’d gotten off the highway, traffic had been light, and all she could hear was the whirring sound of the cars driving near them. It was soothing, and took some of the weight away from the silence that now hung in the air.

Jake turned a corner and parked in front of Cassandra’s apartment building. He turned the car off and they sat there for a few moments before anyone said anything.

“So, this is where I leave you I guess.” Jake said.

“Do you need to stay over tonight?” Cassandra wanted to cringe when she realized what the question sounded like, but it was genuine. Finding the line between the ways of their friendship and their romance was a new challenge they’d have to face.

“Nah.” Jake said. “I reckon Harper and Virginia are pretty freaked out by what happened tonight. I should get home and see if I can talk to them if they’re not asleep.”

“Alright.” Cassandra said, flashing him a little smile. “Thanks for everything tonight.”

“Thanks for coming with me.” Jake chuckled nervously. “It was um…it was really special.”

They sat there in silence again, both of them unsure of what to do. How did they leave each other? What did they say?

“Well,” Jake eventually said. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Cassandra thought for a moment about everything that had happened that night. She thought of the jumbo popcorn, and the shared twizzlers, and his talking about his favorite scene in the movie. She’d wanted a romance with Jacob Stone almost for as long as she’d known him, but now that she’d actually gotten there, it was scary. But with all the memories of the night in mind, and all the memories from the whole year as well, she decided right then that maybe it didn’t have to be scary. Maybe they just had to trust each other enough to take a leap of faith. So, she mustered up all of her courage and did what she thought was the only thing to do.

“You know you forgot something.” she said.

“What’s that?” Jake asked.

“You forgot to kiss me goodnight.”

Jake startled. He wasn’t expecting that. But before he could say anything she leapt forward in her seat and laid her lips on his. His eyes closed as he registered that Cassandra Cillian was kissing him. He’d wondered many times what this would be like. Somehow it was both everything and nothing like he’d expected. It wasn’t heavy and frantic like his kisses with Lamia, but the same passion was still there. It wasn’t soft and gentle like in all the movies, but yet he still felt like he’d traveled to another plane. Her lips still tasted like cherry cola and movie theatre butter, but as tasty as that was it had nothing to do with why he didn’t want to let go. In not so many words, kissing Cassandra Cillian was like nothing he’d ever felt before.

Cassandra pulled back and his eyes were still closed. He didn’t know whether to kiss her again, or to express how amazing it had been, or to…thank her? Before he could decide what to do Cassandra took her leave, and he heard the passenger side door open.

“Goodnight Jacob.” she said shyly, before jumping out and closing the door behind her. Jake watched to make sure she got into her building safely. Once she was inside, he shook off his disbelief and smirked widely before driving away.

Back on her own, Cassandra was floating on air. She didn’t want to show Jake her excitement when they kissed. She didn’t want him to know immediately that it was everything she’d ever dreamed of and more (not to mention the fact that it was her first kiss, and it was absolutely perfect).  She wanted to look cool and collected, mysterious, maybe even a little sexy, so as she walked away from Jake’s car she strutted a bit with her head held high.

When she got inside though, she exploded, squealing with delight and leaning against the door. She bounced so much that she dropped some of the leftover popcorn, which Jake had insisted she take home.

After she calmed herself down, she became aware of Mr. Ford, the apartment doorman, sitting at the front desk watching her. She chuckled nervously at him. He’d always been nice to her since she moved in with Eve and Flynn, asking about her day and caring about how she was doing.

“You look lovely tonight Miss. Cillian.” he said. “Did you have a nice time?”

“Yes.” she said, her breath tight in her throat. “Thank you.”

With that she walked to the elevator and recounted all that had happened that night so that she could tell Eve every single detail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your continued love and support as always! Most likely will see you Sunday!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for my absence! As I said before, I was on vacation! This chapter was supposed to be longer, but Jake and Cassie went so disgustingly cute on me, I couldnt bear to write any more. Enjoy!

For the second day in a row, Cassandra was walking into school when she was approached by a frantic Amy and Lucy. She hadn’t told them much about the date, other than a quick “It went well” and a string of assorted emojiis. She’d reserved any time she had left before bed to recounting the night with Eve.

Now, she was paying the expected price for that, and not being left alone or given a modicum of personal space. In an unexpected move however, Amy started singing.

“ _Did you really get pinned?_ ” she crooned, moving closer to Cassandra. “ _Did you kiss him and cry?_ ”

“What?” Cassandra stuttered, but Amy continued.

“ _Did he pin the pin on, or was he too shy?_ ”

“Amy,” Lucy scolded. “I swear to God I will literally kill you.”

Amy backed up shyly, but Cassandra simply laughed and continued on down the hallway, knowing her friends were trailing close behind.

“Sooo…” Lucy said. “You barely told us anything last night! What happened?!”

“Where did you go?” Amy added.

“Did he kiss you?”

“Did he ask you to be his girlfriend?”

“Was it totally the most magical night ever?!”

“Give me some space,” Cassandra said. “And maybe I’ll let you know.”

Cassandra was delighting in her smugness. She had all the answers, and no one could get them without her say so. It felt oddly good to have that kind of power. She opened her mouth to answer their first question when suddenly they came upon Jake in the hallway, already waiting by her locker. Before she could do anything to respond to him before he drew her in and kissed her right on the lips.

She heard gasps from her friends and wolf whistles from obnoxious passer-bys in the hallway. She was totally taken off guard, slightly embarrassed, and about ready to kill Jake. But she couldn’t help it: she just loved kissing him so much that she couldn’t do anything but reciprocate the gesture and smile when they parted, despite her blushing cheeks.

“What was that for?” she stuttered.

“First of all,” Jake said. “Good morning. Second of all, you left so quick last night you didn’t give me a chance to respond when you kissed me. And I didn’t get to ask you what I was going to ask you.”

“And that is?”

“Cassandra Cillian,” Jake proclaimed, causing Cassandra’s cheek to grow even redder. “Will you…be my girlfriend?”

“Officially?” Cassandra asked, squealing on the inside. Jake nodded.

“Officially official?” she said again, some of her squeals no longer internal.

“If you’ll have me.” Jake said.

Cassandra grabbed Jake’s hand and pulled him over to the side so they were no longer blocking traffic. Then, she stood on her tippy toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers hard and fast. He stumbled but then sunk into it. It was only their third time and they were already getting pretty good at this kissing thing.

They parted and then stared at each other for a moment before exploding into giggles and allowing their foreheads to touch.

“Awwe!” Amy squealed from the side. “Cassie we’re…”

Before she could finish expressing her congratulations, Cassandra cut her off, shoving her finger in front of her friends.

“Shoo shoo.” she said.

“Excuse me?” Lucy said, laughing.

“All of you.” Cassandra exclaimed. “You can go now. I’ll see you later. Bye bye!”

Cassandra’s friends snorted and rolled their eyes but soon turned away, leaving the happy couple to do everything but barf down each-other’s throats.

“And so it begins.” Lucy said, looking judgingly towards Amy as she made the remark.

“ _Hey_!” Amy exclaimed. The friends smiled at each other before walking off towards their own lockers.

Meanwhile, Cassandra was finishing gathering her books, a task she’d begun much to Jake’s dismay. He was standing so close behind her he was practically hanging on her. When she swung her locker door closed and turned around they bumped noses.

“Is this going to be your thing now?” she asked, laughing. “Standing so close to me I can’t move?”

“Of course.” Jake teased. “It’s my job to always be close to you. You’re my girlfriend.”

“Ooh,” Cassandra swooned, giggling. “I like the sound of that.”

“Oh yeah?” Jake asked. “I’ll do you one better.”

He moved to Cassandra’s side and threw his arm around her, all of this over-dramatized of course. Cassandra was laughing hysterically, so much so that the stares of their classmates no longer remotely bothered her.

“It’s still early.” Jake said. “How about I walk you to class Girlfriend?”

“I’d like that Boyfriend.” Cassandra flirted back.

With that they made their way down the hallway to Cassandra’s Math class, but not before sharing another quick kiss, as well as one right before they left each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your continued love and support as always! See you Wednesday!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you thought this story needed MORE cliches...along came this chapter. Enjoy!

It had been nearly a month now since Jake and Cassandra made things official. That time had been filled with more kissing, more dates and pretty much everything you’d expect from a couple of love-struck teenagers. They were head over heels. Cassandra mentioned to anyone who would listen that Jake was her boyfriend. She kissed him literally whenever she had the opportunity. And Jake, he strove to make every date, and every day, as perfect as possible. He’d told her that it was to make up for lost time.

Sometimes they went to the movies, or out for ice-cream. One time Jake took her roller-skating, hoping to be holding her all afternoon. This had backfired when she had no problem skating, and he was the one doing all of the falling. Of course, he soon learned, being held by her had the same paralyzing affect as the alternate. They’d shared a milkshake and even once, on a day when the weather was warm, gone out for a picnic.

This was all to the dismay of their friends, families and teachers. As long as everyone had waited for Jake and Cassandra to finally become a couple, it only took a week for everyone to have had enough of them. Lucy and Amy rolled their eyes when they’d start flirting in the middle of a conversation. Eve and Flynn sighed when the sound of giggling from Cassandra’s room would interrupt whatever TV show they were watching. Ezekiel just liked to gag whenever they made overly-romantic remark, and he wasn’t subtle about it either.

Despite all that though, everyone was overjoyed to see them together and so happy. They were always together and they deserved it. Jake’s demeanor was one of pure bliss, and, if it was at all possible, Cassandra’s smiles had grown even brighter.

It was April now, and Lucy was walking down the hallway when she heard running behind her. She turned to see a panting Jake approaching her, sans Cassandra.

“Wow.” she teased. “I didn’t think I’d ever see either of you by yourself ever again.”

“What?” Jake questioned, leaning over to catch his breath.

“You and Cassandra,” Lucy explained. “I haven’t seen either one of you without the other since you got together.”

“Ha, ha.” Jake sighed. “Look Luce, I came to you because I need your help. I need to plan a surprise for Cassie.”

“Oooh.” Lucy squealed. “Now you’ve got my attention.”

Jake indicated for her to walk to the side of the hallway. He didn’t want to risk any chance of this information getting to Cassandra. Lucy followed, wondering what could possibly be so important that it needed to be this secretive.

“I need to ask her to Prom.” Jake whispered.

“Oh my _gosh_!” Lucy squealed, practically shouting. “You need to plan a promposal!”

“A little louder Luce!” Jake snapped. “I don’t think they heard you two floors down!”

“Sorry.” Lucy chuckled. “But you were right to come to me. I’m an expert at planning. So what do you wanna do?”

“That’s where I need your help. When I was dating Lamia I always thought I’d do something with the whole football team and cheerleading squad. Obviously that’s not gonna work now, but same concept. I need something as big and wonderful and special as Cassandra.”

“ _Ohhh_.” Lucy admired. “You’re gonna make me cry Jake, really.”

“Focus Luce. I told Cassie I was going to grab a book from my locker. I don’t have a lot of time.”

“Right. Well you could go with a classic: sign in the hallway with some corny saying about something you both like.”

“Too small.” Jake said.

“Oooh!” Lucy beamed, her imagination starting to run wild. “I could help you set up the best scavenger hunt, maybe with roses, oh or your little Post-Its?!”

“Scale it back now.”

“Hmmm…” Lucy said, thinking as quickly as she could. “I think I have something. Meet me at the Starbucks down the block at 5 o’clock and we can go over everything. Think you can manage to get away from your girlfriend for an hour or two cowboy?”

“I’m choosing to ignore that last remark because you’re helping me.” Jake said. He took off back in the direction he’d come from.

“Thanks Luce!” he called. “This is a huge help!”

Lucy shook her head laughing as she walked down the hallway. The poor boy was so disorganized…but this was going to be great.

* * *

 

            Days later, Jake had worked with Lucy, Amy and Dashell to come up with the perfect promposal. Working with some suggestions from Amy and Lucy, Jake had decided on a flash-mob on the football field that Saturday morning. It had all come together in a team effort: Dashell had gathered band and orchestra kids, Amy theatre kids from Bye Bye Birdie, and Lucy Mathletes and other students to help cheerlead and set the scene.

It was Friday afternoon right after school. Jake had sold Cassandra some excuse about helping a teacher, and gotten Ezekiel to take her out for pizza. Everyone involved in the event was on the football field for their final rehearsal. It was all set. The Mathletes would cheer as Jake walked Cassandra to the field, then the theatre kids would start singing, and then Jake would take lead and suddenly the band would come in. And then a sign would arrive, via the Mathletes again, with “PROM?” spelt out in post-it notes. Yes, they had everyone and everything they needed. But they’d only had time for a few rehearsals, and things were not going well.

“Guys!” Lucy shouted at the Mathletes. She’d somehow taking over directing this whole affair. “For the millionth time! Your arms go IN in between going left and right! And singers! I didn’t think there was a way for you to put _less_ enthusiasm into the song than you did last time but I guess I was wrong! And my band people you fell off the beat!”

Watching from the sidelines, Jake rubbed his temple, trying to fight away the headache that this was all becoming. He thought this would be so perfect when he dreamed it up, but now it was just a mess, and not what Cassie deserved. He sighed: how was he ever going to give her the perfect moment? He was lost in thought when he realized Lucy was shouting at him.

“JAKE!” He looked up and everyone was staring him down. “Look alive. We’re starting another run through.”

“You know what?” Jake decided. “You guys I’m sorry, but this isn’t gonna work, not like this. You’ve been a huge help and you’ve been working so hard, but I’m starting to think this isn’t exactly Cassie’s sort of thing.”

Everyone sighed, and Jake felt bad, but he couldn’t do anything about it; Cassie was the most important thing here, and a flash mob was not the right promposal for her. Jake went to a frustrated Lucy and pulled her aside.

“I could use your help with something else.” he said.

Jake recounted his new plans to Lucy, and her cheeks rose into a huge grin.

* * *

 

            The next night, Jake drove down the street in his truck, Cassandra seated next to him. He’d told her that tonight’s date was going to be a surprise; he’d only told her three things: They were driving somewhere, they were eating, and she should dress comfortably.

“Jake seriously where are you taking me?” she asked, laughing.

“I told ya,” he teased. “I can’t tell you. We’re almost there.”

As Cassie continued to wonder where they could possibly be going, she realized she was familiar with the streets he was turning down. Before she knew it they were pulling into the school.

“Really?” she asked. “We’re going to school?”

She sounded dumbfounded, but Jake knew that he couldn’t explain anything without ruining the surprise. He pulled around to the back of the school and parked by the football field. Cassandra reached out to open the door, but he held out his hand to stop her. She looked at him confused, and slightly annoyed.

Jake opened his own door and walked around to her side. He opened her door and held out his hand to help her out of the car.

“It’s all about you tonight.” he explained.

Cassandra smirked at him, intrigued.

He led her around to the back of his truck and opened the hatch, presenting a flat bed. There were pillows and blankets waiting in the back, as well as a wicker picnic basket. Cassandra stared on in awe and Jake leapt in front of her to arrange everything.

“Moonlit picnic,” he explained. “You and me under the stars.”

Cassandra just continued to stare, now looking back and forth between her boyfriend and the scene he’d presented in front of her. It still seemed impossible that someone would do something like this for her. Even when she saw Jake’s efforts every day, sometimes she still couldn’t believe it. After a while she stared to stutter, no words coming out of her because she couldn’t find them.

“Well?” Jake asked. “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful!” she finally managed. She laced her arm through his and stood on her tippy-toes to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Jake hopped up onto the flatbed and held out his hand to Cassandra.

“My lady?” he teased.

Cassandra laughed as he hoisted her up onto the truck. He laid back and she relaxed under his arm. There seemed to be a mutual agreement that dinner could wait; now was the time for them to just be together, and admire the night sky.

* * *

 

            A while later, Cassandra was finishing her sandwich when Jake stood up on his knees.

“I almost forgot!” he lied. “I have another surprise.”

“Oh?” Cassandra said.

She watched Jake, confused, as he hopped out of the back of the truck and opened his back seat. When he came walking back around to her, her jaw dropped. Out of all the things she’d been expecting, seeing Jacob Stone holding a guitar was certainly not one of them.

“Did I ever told you I played guitar?” Jake asked, climbing back into the truck.

“No.” she muttered.

She wasn’t exactly sure where this was going, or what he could possibly be doing with his guitar. Was he going to teach her how to play guitar? She didn’t want to learn how to play guitar! She was sure she’d suck at it. But all the same she wanted to keep a smile on, because Jake looked so excited, and she didn’t want to let him down.

“Well I dabble.” Jake said, flashing her one of his signature flirty smiles. This eased her tension a bit, and caused her to chuckle.

“I wanted to play something for you, and I wanted to play you country music so I could give you  a taste of my life back in Oklahoma, and I know how much you love your Taylor Swift, so I learned a little something.”

Cassandra’s eyes lit up and she wanted to cry. He was serenading her in the middle of their own private getaway. As she’d gotten older she’d forced herself not to believe in the reality of fairytale relationships, but Jake was changing all of that with each passing day. She and Jake exchanged smiles and she leaned back on some pillows as he started to play.

“ _Though my walls stood tall and painted blue, I’ll take ‘em down, take ‘em down, and open up the door for you.”_

Jake’s voice was deep with a signature country drawl. It was distinctly his own, but still more melodic than his speaking voice. Cassandra tried her best not to swoon. If she’d been attracted to him before, than this was a new level. Her desire to jump on him right there battled with her desire to hear him sing the rest of the song.

“ _I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now. I just wanna know you better, know you better know you better now.”_

Cassandra giggled; this was one of her favorite songs. Jake knew it too, considering how often she made him listen to it in the car. She closed her eyes then and listened to him sing, swaying to the sweet melody and her favorite lyrics coming from her favorite person.

“ _Cause all I know is we said hello, and your eyes look like coming home. All I know is a simple name, and everything has changed. All I know is you held the door, you’ll be mine and I’ll be yours, all I know since yesterday is everything has changed.”_

Jake strummed a final chord and Cassandra wanted to cry. She’d never thought about the lyrics and their own story until this moment, but they fit so well. She wanted to play the song on her phone and just hold him, but still have him sing it to her as well. He’d changed her whole life, and the words of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran seemed to express the feeling so perfectly.

“Did you like it?” Jake asked, when Cassandra hadn’t said anything.

She responded only by wiping a tear from her eye. Knowing Jake, she expected a hug, so she was surprised when she looked up and simply saw him kneeling in front of her, his guitar placed down and his hand stretched out.

“C’mere darlin’.” he said. “I’m not quite done with you yet.”

Cassandra wondered what more he could possibly do tonight, when he’d already put together the most romantic thing she’d ever witnessed. She didn’t question him though, and followed his lead: down off the truck and towards the center of the football field.

“What are we…” Cassandra started to ask, but before she could she heard a loud click.

From the football field, floods of light became apparent. She turned her head toward the source and stumbled, as she really did start to cry now. Two large spotlights were shining onto center field, where stood a giant sign covered in neon Post-It notes that spelled out a single word: PROM?

Cassandra was speechless and stumbled in Jake’s arms. It was so romantic. It was so them. It was so perfect. And she never thought it would happen to her.

“Will you go to Prom with me Cassie?” he asked.

“Yes!” Cassandra squealed.

She jumped on him and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck as he picked her up. He placed her down then and they started to laugh, in awe of the pure happiness they were living in.

“How’d you manage all of this?” Cassandra asked.

“Well, Lucy and Amy had some connections with the AV club, and Jones knew some stuff too. They got me the spotlights. The rest was just my idea.”

“It’s perfect.” Cassandra exclaimed. She laughed.

“And here I thought you were going to embarrass me and do something in front of the entire school.” she said.

Just then, she felt Jake stiffen. One of his arms released from her and nervous chuckles escaped him. Cassandra tilted her head and looked him in the eye.

“You were going to do something in front of the whole school weren’t you?”

“Hey!” Jake said.  “I made the right decision eventually!”

Cassandra shook her head and laughed before leaning in to kiss Jake again. She had the most perfect boyfriend on the planet. And not to mention, she had the best kisser of a boyfriend too. Her hands had just started to run through his hair, and she thought they’d be staying there a while, when suddenly, there was the sound of another click.

As if someone had orchestrated it, the sprinklers came on, and before they could register the sound of the spraying, they felt the freezing cold water soaking them wet. They gasped and pulled apart, but still did not run anywhere. They stood staring at each other, the sprinklers soaking them more and more with each passing second. Then something unexpected happened: they started to laugh. They screamed with laughter, water dripping from their hair and chins and collars.

“Come on!” Jake eventually shouted. He grabbed Cassandra’s hand and started running.

“Go go go!” he shouted as they ran. Cassandra continued to laugh more and more.

“Close the truck close the truck!” Cassandra threw blankets far back into the truck and grabbed the picnic basket before closing the latch with Jake’s help. They ran around the car and hopped into their seats, slamming the doors shut and putting on their seatbelts within five seconds.

“Drive drive drive!” Cassandra yelled, thinking security might be coming soon.

Jake shifted the truck into gear and took off down the open road, the two of them laughing and screaming the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting real close to the end and I'm getting super emotional. See you Sunday! Thanks for all the love and support as always.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S PROM. YAY PROM HAVE FUN.

A month later, it was prom night. The doorbell rang in the Carsen household. Jake stood outside, his foot tapping nervously. This was supposed to be easy for people like him. He was supposed to pick a girl up and put a corsage on her wrist, hold her close in the limo, and then perch her on his lap all night, staying off the dance floor until they could escape to after-prom.

But Cassandra was different. Doing it all with Cassandra scared him, because he had to think of things to do. There were going to be moments to mess up; it wasn’t all simple. He was going to be focusing on the feel of her skin when he gave her her corsage. When everyone was dancing all night, he wanted to be dancing with her. Cassandra made him feel things, real honest to god romantic feelings that he wasn’t sure actually existed up until her. It wasn’t what he’d been raised in, wasn’t what he’d known. He was new at romance, and Prom was supposed to be all about romance.

The door opened to reveal Eve and Flynn, standing close together and grinning stupidly.

“Jacob!” Eve exclaimed. “You look wonderful! Come on, come in!”

Jake nodded to acknowledge them and slipped inside the apartment he’d come to know so well.

“Cassandra will be down soon!” Eve said, as giddy as Jake had ever seen her. “We were just finishing up her makeup.”

Eve ran off to Cassandra’s bedroom, leaving Flynn and Jake alone together.

“Excited for tonight?” Flynn asked.

“Yeah.” Jake answered. 

“Sit down.” Flynn offered.

“I’m okay.”

“No.” Flynn said again. “Sit down. Please.”

Jake moved to the couch, a slight bit confused at Flynn’s insistence. Flynn sat down next to him and exhaled dramatically.

“Cassandra says you guys are going to the city after Prom.” he said.

“Yeah.” Jake replied excitedly, thinking of Flynn as a friend, which was strange because he was also his teacher. “We’re going to this cute little restaurant we heard about online.”

“Mhmm.” Flynn confirmed. “So just dinner then?”

“Yes.” Jake repeated. He wasn’t sure what Flynn was trying to do here. Their conversations had not been much before, but they were never awkward like this.

“You know I’m chaperoning tonight.” Flynn said.

“Yeah.” Jake said. “Cassie’s real excited to have you there.”

“Mhmm.”

There were a few more moments of silence. Jake stared down at his knee, which was bouncing up and down. He leaned his head to look down the hallway, wondering when Cassandra and Eve would come out, praying they were done soon.

“Look.” Flynn said. “Let’s cut to the chase. I know before you started hanging out with Cassandra you were….well you had this reputation. And I know in a lot of ways you’re not that person of course, but I’m sure there are some things….look I don’t want Cassandra ending up involved with your old _activities_.”

Jake simply stared at Flynn. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Once again he willed Cassandra and Eve to move faster.

“Flynn…” he started.

“I love her like a daughter you know.” Flynn continued, completely ignoring Jake’s attempts to answer. “I don’t care if she’s not that much younger than me. Eve and I have been raising her for a year now.”

“Flynn…”

“She’s not ready for all that yet, even if she thinks she is. And if you push her even a little bit she’s going to think she’s ready.”

“Mr. Carsen!” Jake yelled. Flynn looked at him. He’d gotten lost in his train of thought before.

“You don’t have to worry about me.” Jake assured him. “I’m serious about Cassie. I know it doesn’t seem like me, but I just wanna dance with her all night and then share a milkshake after. It’s crazy, but she makes me wanna do all that old fashioned stuff.”

“Yeah well I know that feeling.” Flynn said, looking at the door where his wife and sister-in-law still were.

Some of the awkward tension dissolved from the room, though Flynn and Jake still didn’t talk much after that. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they heard the sound of a door opening, bringing Jake shooting to his feet.

Eve came out of the room first and Flynn walked up to join her, placing his arm around her shoulder.

“Here she is.” Eve said.

Cassandra walked slowly out of her room. Jake’s jaw dropped to the floor. He was awestruck. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She giggled when she saw him standing by the couch.

“Hi Jake.” she said.

“Hi.” he muttered. “You look incredible.”

“Thanks. You do too.’

Flynn and Eve watched on proudly, smiling at each other and thinking about the start of their own romance. Eve had waited so long, hoping desperately for her little sister to be happy, to get the happily ever after that her circumstances had tried to deny her. And here it all was in front of her: her little sister on prom night. A tear came to her eye; she never thought she’d get to see this moment.

Cassandra was a vintage beauty. She wore a short, deep purple dress. The skirt came down to her knees and puffed out largely with multiple layers of tulle. The straps rested off of her shoulders and came in to form a sweetheart neckline. Her hair was curled into a false bob, and she wore white gloves that came up to her elbows.

“Come on!” Flynn said. “Get together, let’s take a picture!”

“No!” Eve smacked him on the arm. “They have to do the flowers first! And we take pictures of that. And _then_ we take the posed pictures!”

Jake and Cassandra cocked their heads towards each other and rolled their eyes. With their lives, they didn’t think they’d have to deal with embarrassing over-emotional parents. Yet, Eve and Flynn seemed to be filling those roles perfectly.

“Well come on!” Eve urged them. “You’ve got to be at Lucy’s house in twenty minutes!”

Laughing, Cassandra and Jake faced each other. Cassandra brought up the boutonniere and pinned it on Jake’s jacket. She giggled and felt her face getting hot as her hands came close to his chest. It was Jake’s turn then to slip the corsage onto Cassandra’s wrist. After finishing the task, he kissed her hand, throwing her into another fit of giggles. They heard dozens of snaps coming from Eve’s phone the entire time.

“Alright,” she said. “Now Prom pose!”

Jake wrapped his arms around Cassandra from behind and they both faced sideways. After Eve had taken a picture, Jake dipped Cassandra down and kissed her cheek. Eve snapped a picture, capturing Cassandra with her eyes squeezed shut, squealing with laughter.

Eve called out pose after pose to take more pictures of Jake and Cassandra, much to their dismay. Everyone laughed and the room was full of pure joy. Cassandra knew already, just like all the movies had said, this was going to be the most magical night of her life.

* * *

 

            The limo picked them up at Lucy’s house, where another gaggle of pictures was taken. They were quite the group: Jake and Cassandra, Amy and Dashell, Lucy and Justin, some rich kid from their class that she’d somehow managed to charm into taking her to Prom. They sure looked like the group of mixed up misfits they were: each of the girls had their own look. While Cassandra sported her 50s Hollywood glam, Amy wore a sparkly light blue classic dress and dark lipstick. Lucy sported a two piece with a neon green tube top and a long grey floral skirt. But they all fit together like perfect pieces of a puzzle, and in a year’s time they’d become the best friends they could have ever asked for.

Now the group walked into the banquet hall where the Prom was being held. The music was already blasting loud enough to shake the walls, and people were already filling the dance floor. Cassandra grabbed Jake’s hand and squeezed it tight. She’d been waiting for this moment since she was eleven years old, watching _Pretty in Pink_ with Eve in their pajamas while their parents were out at some benefit dinner.

“Come on!” she squealed. “Let’s go dance.”

Jake laughed and smiled at her, but before he could do so much as breathe, she’d whisked him off and started running towards the dance floor. Lucy and Amy looked at each other and shook their heads before heading to their table with their dates.

On the side, hanging out by a wall, the cheerleaders snickered.

“Look at the Freaks and Geeks over there.” Morgan snickered.

“Yeah I always knew Annie didn’t belong here,” Meredith added. “But I didn’t know it was because she was from 1950!”

The group burst into hysterical laughter and suddenly Lamia felt herself growing uncomfortable. What had any of those people done to warrant any comment? They were just having a good time like everyone else. Realization had started to hit her about who her friends really were, and who she had really been. Now, watching ridicule arise unprovoked, all of that was coming to a boil.

“Come on guys.” she said. “Knock it off.”

“What the hell’s _your_ problem?” Morgan asked, her laughter still dying down.

Lamia simply sighed and stormed away, Lance and the rest of her friends staring at her in disbelief.

* * *

 

            Hours later, the party was in full swing. Lights flashed on the full dance floor and everyone was jumping around, fighting sore feet and lack of breath. Cassandra stood in a circle with her friends, dancing all out and singing along at the top of their lungs.

“ _SO ONE LAST TIME, I NEED TO BE THE ONE THAT TAKES YOU HOME_.”

The song ended and everyone burst into applause. Cassandra bent over and started laughing from the excess adrenaline. She clutched her chest to catch her breath. She didn’t know how long she’d been dancing now. Jake saw this and grabbed her arm.

“Come on.” he said. “Let’s go rest for a minute.”

Cassandra nodded and they walked off of the dance floor as everyone else continued to sing along to the next song that came on.

Jake and Cassandra reached their table, where Cassandra, Amy and Lucy’s heels were scattered, having been ditched three songs into the night.

“Want me to go get some sodas?” Jake asked.

“Please!” Cassandra said, placing a kiss on his cheek before he walked away.

Cassandra took the time to settle down and just people watch. She guessed the movies didn’t lie when they said Prom was the best night of high school. Everyone was having so much fun. She was having so much fun. She was so happy. It made her think about just how much had changed this past year.

People who she didn’t speak to much walked past her and waved, expressing how they liked her dress. Back when she was a freshman that never would have happened. Back in freshman year she wouldn’t have had anyone to even dance with but Lucy. Now she had a whole table of close friends and even a date. She smiled. Things really did change for the better.

Jake walked back empty handed and stood at her side, smirking.

“Where are the sodas?” she asked, slightly annoyed.

“Oh I got sidetracked doing something else.” Jake teased.

Just as Cassandra was about to ask Jake what exactly he meant, the music of the current song faded and the DJ came on the microphone.

“Alright Class of 2017!” she exclaimed. This earned a cheer from the dance floor. “Coming up next we have a special request from one of your own. So grab your special someone and get ready to slow it down and throw it back with this hit from 2001!”

Jake’s grin was giant and Cassandra was confused until the music of the next song began to play. She recognized the intro immediately. N’Sync’s _This I Promise You_. She looked at Jake and a tear came to her eye, knowing immediately that he had requested the song.

“You didn’t!” she said.

“Well I figured we deserved another chance to dance to our song.” he said. “You know…now that we’re actually dating.”

Cassandra laughed and Jake held out his hand.

“May I have this dance miss?” he asked.

“You may.” Cassandra said. She grabbed his hand and he led her to the dance floor.

Unlike their first dance, this time brought them close to each other immediately. Nervous energy was finally gone and they simply smiled at each other and swayed back and forth.

_When the visions around you bring tears to your eyes and all that surrounds you is secrets and lies…_

Without a moment’s thought to it this time, Cassandra moved closer to Jake and laid her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the hypnotic motion of both the dance and his steady breathing. He made her feel safe and at home and like the happiest version of herself. She felt like she was in absolute paradise dancing here with him. The word _soulmate_ floated its way into her mind. It was crazy to think she’d found that person at eighteen years old, but she couldn’t deny it: here they were.

_And I will take you in my arms, and hold you right where you belong_

When Cassandra laid her head on his chest, Jake let his hand run down and stroke her hair. He wanted her here like this, as often as he could possibly have her. She’d been through so much, so much that she didn’t deserve, and he didn’t want her to have to face any of it ever again, at least not alone. He wanted to keep her safe from the whole world. The strong feeling was almost scary to him, but so natural at the same time. And he felt like if he was keeping her from harm, somehow no more harm would come to him either. Together nothing could touch them: time had already proven that. Maybe harm could come, but they wouldn’t be hurt. After all, could you ever be truly broken if there was always someone there to pick up the pieces? Cassandra made him feel all of that, and it was a notion that brought him the purest joy he’d ever known.

_Till the day my life is through, this I promise you_

They weren’t aware if anyone else was actually dancing. It was the best moment of the night they were sure: together on the dance floor, dressed to the nines, swaying to their song. It was like something out of a dream.

But as is always the way with dreams, it’s always at the most wonderful moment that something happens to wake you up.

Out of nowhere, Cassandra jolted as she felt someone tapping her on the shoulder. Blinking her eyes open, she turned and saw a teary-eyed Flynn breathing heavily in front of her.

“What happened?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

“Eve got called in to work.” Flynn muttered. “They needed extra dispatchers at a robbery.”

Cassandra froze. She knew where this was going. She couldn’t say a word, couldn’t move a muscle, couldn’t even ask the questions on her mind for fear of the answer. But just looking at Flynn, she knew, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, that her worst nightmares were coming true.

“There were shots fired. I don’t know what happened. I just got a call that she was taken to the hospital. We have to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok BEFORE YOU GET MAD....it should be noted that the Prom fiasco was originally going to have the return of the brain grape. I'm talking hard Eternal Question parallels. This was done to SPARE you. And myself lmao I couldn't bring myself to hurt them anymore. See you on Wednesday then!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I'd just forget you and leave you hanging did you? Enjoy

Cassandra let out a scream, but it was barely audible, choked away by stunned silence. Before she could think about anything she started to cry, that awful, silent, dry-eyed, heaving crying that comes from disbelief.

Jake’s arms were still around her, but he didn’t know what to do. He could barely move himself. Eve: sweet, giving, tough as nails, invincible Eve, likely shot, and in the hospital. He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it.

Cassandra collapsed into him and he squeezed her tight. The music was still playing, and Flynn was recounting details of what he knew, but Jake didn’t hear anything. He’d found a new life, a new home, a family, and in the blink of an eye it was all crumbling. Anger boiled inside him like he was a steaming pot. The best people he knew, the kindest people who’d already dealt with so much more than they deserved, were facing tragedy once again. He hated the world, every force that governed the universe.

At a nearby table, Lamia was sitting with her friends, bored out of her mind. This night was turning out to be a horrible bust. Her friends’ chosen activities had quickly started to bore her. Everyone on the dance floor looked like they were having so much fun, but she feared what would happen if she left to join them.

Currently, her date was paying her no attention and trying some assenine stunt with straws that had been given to him on a dare. Her friends cheered, but she rolled her eyes and watched the couples on the dance floor. She’d asked Lance to dance with her, but he’d shoved her off like he’d barely heard her.

Suddenly, her eyes caught something out of the blue. Mr. Carsen was on the dance floor and he was with Jake and Cassandra and…Cassandra was crying. She was more than crying. She was breaking down. Jake was holding her. Mr. Carsen was trying to calm her down. Something was wrong.

“Guys.” she called, turning to the rest of her table. “Look over there. I think something’s wrong with Cassandra.”

“You just noticed that?” Meredith asked, not breaking her focus from the event which currently held her interest.

“No I mean seriously.” Lamia insisted. “Mr. Carsen is saying something to her. She’s crying.”

“I want to cry when Mr. Carsen talks to me too.” James said. He earned a few laughs and a couple of high fives.

Lamia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Could they really not see that far beyond the tip of their own nose? She sighed loudly and marched away.

“Cynthia is here.” Flynn said, speaking of Eve’s boss and working to grab Cassandra’s attention. “She’s got the police car and she’s going to get us to the hospital. We have to go now.”

“Okay.” Cassandra said, immediately taking Flynn’s hand and rushing away from Jake.

“Wait!” Jake called. “Let me come! Or let me do something!”

Lamia rushed towards Jake and Cassandra. All she could make out was that Cassandra was hanging onto Mr. Carsen’s side, and the three of them were hurrying to figure something out. Jake and Mr. Carsen exchanged a few words before Mr. Carsen tossed him something before pushing his way out of the hall, trailed by Cassandra, who had stopped first to give Jake a quick kiss.

Jake stopped for a second, looking distraught, then turned on his heel and started rushing to his table. Lamia jogged to catch up with him, forcing herself into his path.

“Jake what happened?” she exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”

“Not now Lamia.”

“Jake seriously I’m worried. What happened?”

She’d barely spoken two words to Jake since they broke up, and he usually avoided her in the hallways. So when he turned to her now, running his hand through his hair and coming close to crying in front of her, she knew this must have really been awful.

“Cassandra’s sister is in the hospital.” he explained.

“Oh my god.” Lamia gasped. She felt crushed. Her classmate’s sister, her teacher’s wife.

“She’s a cop and there was a shooting,” Jake’s breathing became more and more frantic as he continued to explain. “I don’t know how she is I only know she was hit and they just found out and…I gotta go, I gotta take Flynn’s car and get them a change of clothes.”

Jake grabbed his jacket and started to walk away, but Lamia but her hand on his shoulder.

“Let me come.” she said.

“Lamia no, I don’t wanna take you away from….”

“Please. I feel like I owe you at least that much. And you shouldn’t be driving alone when you’re like this.”

Jake stared at her for a second, unable to believe what he was hearing. Was this the same Lamia that he’d been dating at the beginning of the year? He didn’t know if she was being sincere. And he didn’t know what she would say: was she really who he wanted to bring along at a time like this? But he didn’t have the energy now to hold grudges, and he really could use the company.

“Come on.” he said.

Lamia nodded and ran towards the exit.

Ten minutes later, Lamia sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat next to Jake, listening to the whirr of the road underneath them. She felt so out of place. What right did she have, sitting here with someone she’d hurt so much, going to be with someone she’d hurt so much more?

“We have to make a few stops.” Jake said. “I have to get Cassandra and Flynn’s things. I have some clothes there but we should stop to let you change, or I can drop you off, and then I have to pick up our friend Ezekiel.”

“Okay.” Lamia said.

She looked over at Jake. His eyes were locked hard on the road, and his lips were pressed firmly into a line. His hands trembled on the steering wheel.  She knew that look about him; she’d seen it once, when he’d first met her parents. He really was nervous.

Her mind couldn’t help but wander. She’d never really known what it was like to be cared about that much. She saw the way Jake and Cassandra behaved with each other in the halls; she and her friends were never that honestly happy. She wondered where they would all be tonight, if it was she who’d had to run to the hospital. Then again, what had she ever done for anyone to deserve them dropping everything for her? She looked at Jake again and immediately knew that if she were in the hospital tonight, he would still be here. And, likely, Cassandra would be too.

“Cassandra’s very lucky,” she said shyly, deciding at last to try and break the tension. “To have someone like you.”

Jake looked over at her briefly, confused, and she offered him a shy smile and a shrug.

“It’s not just for Cassie.” he said. “Her sister Eve, and Mr. Carsen, they mean a lot to me too.”

“Oh?”

When Lamia said nothing else, Jake assumed she was looking for an elaboration. He really didn’t want to give it to her, but there was still a fairly long drive ahead of them, and there was nothing else to talk about. Besides, he supposed her being here, and having dated him, earned her a little bit of openness.

“When Cassie and I became friends,” Jake explained. “I was dealing with a lot of isolation. No one knew anyone but the jock and I was alone because of that, but Eve and Flynn welcomed me like their own. They gave me a couch on the nights I knew I couldn’t go home, they…”

“There were nights you had to stay away from home?” Lamia asked, cutting him off.

There was silence for a moment as Jake contemplated what to tell her. He supposed it was all out in the open now anyway though, and now wasn’t a good time to be petty. Besides, after all the lies he’d always told, she deserved a little bit of truth.

“There’s a reason I never took you home to meet my Father Lamia.” Jake said, deciding to leave it at that.

“Jake I’m so sorry,” Lamia said. “I had no idea.”

“Don’t worry about it. The point is, Eve and Mr. Carsen are my family. Especially Eve. She felt like an older sister to me almost immediately.” Jake exhaled slowly, and Lamia could hear how his voice was close to breaking.

“It’s gonna be okay Jake.” Lamia assured him. She placed her hand on his leg. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Jake flashed her a quick smile and breathed away the tears that had almost started to fall.

“Well,” Lamia eventually said. “Even with Eve meaning something to you too, Cassandra’s still very lucky to have you. Not every boyfriend would leave in the middle of their prom to bring their girlfriend’s pajamas to the hospital for her.”

“Well not every _girl_ would give up her Prom to give her ex-boyfriend company on a car ride.” Jake smiled when he said this, trying to lighten the mood, but Lamia fell silent.

“Jake, I need to apologize for how I behaved when we were together.” she said.  “And for how I behaved after we broke up too. I was just awful to you and Cassandra, to everyone I…”

“Hey now” Jake said. “Don’t get all down like that. It’s never too late to change things. If anyone knows that it’s me.”

Lamia looked up at Jake, and tears formed in her eyes. How could he be so kind to her after how she’d treated him, how she’d treated Cassandra? Why did he have to be such a good person? Why had she always had to have been such a bad one?

“But look at what I’ve done.” she cried. “I treated people the way I did and I didn’t realize how bad that was until something tragic happened. And now, everyone else, the kind people, the _real_ people, the people like you and Cassandra and Lucy, are going off into the world with people who will stand by their side no matter what. What will I have: a bunch of fake friends who will stop missing me a week into college.”

“Oh please.” Jake argued. “You’ve got real relationships. What about Lance?”

Lamia chuckled in spite of herself, but said nothing. She returned her gaze to her lap, to the skin tight red fabric she’d taken so long picking out.

“Lamia,” Jake insisted. “You were always in love with him, even when we were dating. We both know that.”

A laugh continued to escape Lamia, and tears did as well. She shook her head sharply, thinking herself about the reality she was becoming aware of.

“I was.” she said. “I _am_. But…he’s not that guy.”

She looked at Jake, awaiting a response, but he said nothing.

“I’m still in love with him.” she explained. “But my longing for him didn’t end when we got together. I’m in love with a ‘him’ that doesn’t exist. He doesn’t see me as anything more than a piece of ass.”

“Don’t say that…” Jake started.

“We both know it’s true.” Lamia said harshly, cutting him off. “Besides, he treats people horribly, all of them do. Our teacher just rushed to the hospital because his wife was shot and they couldn’t care less. Lance and Morgan are probably making out in a limo as we speak.”

“Hey,” Jake said, briefly looking over. “ _You’re_ here. You were wondering before about what kind of person you are; you’re here.”

She smiled shyly at him. They didn’t say anything for the rest of the car ride. But there was a renewed understanding between them. They’d connected now on a level that they never really had before, and it was relief to be able to have some kind of real relationship. If Lamia was being honest with herself she was happier here than at the Prom with all of her friends, and Jake was really glad not to be alone.

            Jake and Lamia ran into the hospital nearly an hour later, Ezekiel now in tow. They ran to the desk to get information, but before they could ask anything, Cassandra was calling out to them.

“Jacob!”

She ran up to the group and launched herself into Jake’s embrace. He squeezed her tightly as she cried in his arms. Ezekiel was tense, hovering close by, and Lamia simply watched on uncomfortably. She didn’t see Mr. Carsen; she assumed he was with his wife.

After a minute, Jake moved Cassandra away from him, wiped both their tears and held her by the shoulders.

“What happened?” he asked.

“She got hit in the shoulder.” Cassandra whimpered. “She hit her head and she was unconscious. They took her into surgery to patch her up and check for any serious damage, but they think she’s gonna be okay.”

“Oh thank God.” Jake said, pulling Cassandra back into his arms. The hug was shorter this time, and when they parted, he held her at his side.

“I have the clothes for you and Flynn.” he said, holding up the bag he’d packed. “I brought your favorite pajama shorts, and my big T-shirt that you like so much.”

Cassandra smiled weakly at him and he kissed her on the head.

“Do you guys want some coffee or chips or anything?”

It was only then that Cassandra became aware of the other people in the room.

“Lamia?” she asked. She was the last person she’d expected to see here.

“Hi.” Lamia said shyly. “I saw what happened and I…I just thought I should help. You should stay here but I can go to the cafeteria for you.”

Cassandra was flabbergasted. Lamia Morganstein being nice to her? Helping her? She stuttered, but before she could respond the doors to the emergency room burst open again, this time bringing Lucy, Amy, Dashell, and Justin, all of them panting heavily.

Cassandra broke away from Jake and ran to Lucy, flinging herself in her friend’s arms.

“We came as soon as we could.” Amy said. “What’s happening?”

“We’re not sure of anything, but I think it’s gonna be alright.”

Lucy squeezed Cassandra tighter, expressing her relief.

Among all the chaos, Cassandra felt tears come to her eyes for an entirely new reason. Seven other people were in this waiting room with her, seven people who were not family. To think she had this many friends that loved her that much was a thought she could barely comprehend. She was glad to not be alone tonight and looking around, she knew she’d never have to worry about being alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAH we're getting so close to the end! I have 2 chapters left to write and I just can't believe it. This is crazy you guys, and I hope you've enjoyed the journey. See you Sunday.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Happy Father's Day. This chapter is a bit long, but we've reached the denouement so things get a bit wordy(and this author gets a bit teary.) This chapter hit super close to home for me in a lot of ways-which I'll touch on at the end- so I really hope you enjoy it!

Everything went back to normal after that night, almost as if it had never happened. Lamia was back with her friends to go to the beach the next morning, and not she nor Jake mentioned what happened between them. Aside from resting for the concussion and wearing her arm in a sling for a few months, Eve was perfectly okay. Thankfully, nothing happened that altered the course of anyone’s lives.

Three days later, a Monday, Cassandra walked shyly through the school halls. She’d wanted to stay home for a day to be with her family, but Eve had insisted that she not miss a single second of her last month of High school. She tried to fight it, but Eve did all but get up and push her out the door, and she would have if she’d been able.

Being in school proved to actually be a needed relief. It became a safe haven, away from all the stress and drama at home, and it was good to be somewhere other than a hospital. But the relief didn’t come without its own set of challenges. Cassandra knew by now that everyone had heard what happened at Prom. More so than ever, she felt like every pair of eyes in the hallway was staring her down. It was a feeling she hadn’t had since getting close with Jake.

Said boy had his arm around her shoulders and held her close to him. Ezekiel walked close by, acting like the crazy protective little brother he usually was. Jake had told Cassandra on no uncertain terms that anyone who wanted to upset her had to go through him first. The remark, however ridiculous, had made her chuckle, but still feel warm and thankful.

After what seemed like an eternal walk down the hallway, they passed the usual firing squad, leaned up against the wall close to their lockers. Jake pulled Cassandra closer to him.

“Don’t worry about them.” Jake whispered, noticing how Cassandra’s head had turned toward the group. “We’re almost to your locker.”

They’d just barely passed the group when Lamia called out.

“Cassandra!”

Cassandra and Jake turned, seeing Lamia, distanced a little bit from the rest of her friends.

“How’s your sister?”

“She’s good thanks.” Cassandra said, comforted at the thought that this weekend did not have to go completely forgotten. “They’ve been keeping her for observation, but she should be home by tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful. Tell Mr. Carsen you’re all in my family’s prayers.”

“Thank you. I will.”

The two girls, along with Jake and Ezekiel, smiled shyly at each other, before they each turned and went on their own way.

* * *

 

            The last days of school passed like a blur. Two weeks before the last day of classes didn’t feel like a reality. It didn’t even register. School life went on as normal as if it were any other year.

The last Friday before the last day, everyone stood on their feet to cheer on Amy’s performance in Bye-Bye Birdie, not as the lead, but still spectacular. Cassandra cheered and Jake wolf whistled as they watched Amy smiling brightly from the stage. Lucy was screaming so loud they thought she was going to have an honest-to-god heart attack.

That Monday they were given their yearbooks, and the frenzy began to find spots for everyone, and to find the time for everyone to sign.  Free period was no longer a study session, it was 45 minutes of Cassandra running through the hallways trying to find all her favorite teachers, Jake trailing closely behind. Watching her smiling in front of him, he began to realize just how much he was going to miss being with her in this place every day.

Cassandra cried when she read all of her teachers’ messages to her. Jake read them too, and they were just as beautiful as she deserved. He didn’t expect much when he opened his own yearbook, but he was surprised to find they’d written just as much as they had for Cassandra, and spoken with just as much praise.  He just stared at all the words, calling him brave, smart, kind, a wonderful young man. He didn’t think anyone but Cassandra and the Carsens ever thought anything like that of him.

The biggest shock was what Mr. Jenkins had written. It was short and sweet, unlike Cassandra’s full page, but somehow the old guy had managed to speak volumes in just a couple of sentences.

_I always knew you were a bright young man. I was so pleased this year to see you let that live. You are truly a remarkable young man that Georgetown will be lucky to have. Keep embracing all that you are, and go live your best life. I expect to see you and Miss. Cillian come and visit next year. Best of luck- Gale Jenkins._

Jake felt something that he couldn’t explain. He became aware that Cassandra had been reading over his shoulder, and she squeezed him tightly from behind, before laying a kiss on his cheek and laying her head on him.

He smiled. He knew what the feeling was now: this was the life he’d always wanted to live.

* * *

 

            The last day came at them in what seemed like no time at all. With what seemed like no warning, suddenly it was there; they were at the end. All the longing and fear and grieving that everyone expected from graduation finally hit them.

Cassandra hugged each of her teachers tightly, shedding a tear for each classroom that she left. When the time came to leave Mr. Jenkins, Cassandra was a wreck. When the bell rang she gave him a teary hug, Jake hanging close by. Mr. Jenkins held her by the shoulder and wished her luck. Jake put his arm around Cassie and the second they were out the door, she fell completely into him. He simply squeezed her tight, knowing that she needed to break down.

The last period of the day was free for seniors, meant for them to say their goodbyes. Lucy, Amy, Jake, Dashell and Cassandra all sat at a table, passing around their yearbooks. Many of the messages were quick and sweet, but the girls cried as they filled entire pages for each other. Ezekiel had signed Jake and Cassandra’s yearbooks at lunch that day. The kid was not the emotional type, and both entries were short paragraphs, but Cassandra still managed to cry anyway; she knew what they really meant to each-other.

It was nearing the end of the period, and Cassandra turned to Jake. She thrust out her yearbook to him, still wiping away tears from writing to Lucy.

“Alright.” she said. “Might as well get this over with.”

“Cassie…” he sighed.

“Jake!” she exclaimed. “We’ve been putting this off for a week now! We need to sign each other’s yearbooks.”

“I know, but it’s just…”

The truth was, Jake was too scared to sign to her yearbook. Signing yearbooks with Cassie meant that their magic year together really had come to an end. He wasn’t ready for an ending. And sure he knew it was ridiculous: they weren’t leaving each other; he wasn’t going to lose her. But isn’t that what everyone said: they weren’t going to lose touch with their high school friends and then they actually get to college? And sure, they were going to college together, and Cassandra was so much more than just his friend. But still, everything was going to be different. They were growing up, their lives were changing, and soon they’d be changing. Everything with Cassandra this year had just been so wonderful and signing her yearbook meant saying goodbye to that. 

He couldn’t tell her any of this though. Jake knew how close Cassie always was to panicking when it came to losing her friends. Mentioning his own fear to her would just make her more petrified than he was.

“I just don’t know what to say yet Cassie.” he said. It wasn’t a total lie. “I’ll do it I promise. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“Okay.” Cassandra agreed, though she seemed reluctant. Her eye caught a girl from their English class at another table and she went to exchange books with her.

Jake sighed. He didn’t want her to think he didn’t care. But how was he ever going to say goodbye to this?

* * *

 

            When the bell rang everyone burst into tears, if they hadn’t been crying already. The kids who’d always stayed aside, hating high-school with a passion, squeezed their friends tightly. For a good few minutes, Cassandra and Lucy would not let go of each-other. Even cynical Dashell was a little misty, holding Amy tightly in his arms.

They’d all gone out to a diner after-words, once they’d managed to force themselves off of campus. It was fun, but emotional. They were happy to be done, and to be out and together, but something was over, and it hung on all of their minds, no matter how loudly the conversation made them laugh.

Two hours later, everyone was heading home. Cassandra hugged Amy and Lucy goodbye, before they drove away in Dashell’s car. Now it was just Jake and Cassandra, standing alone on the empty block.

“So…” Jake said. “What now?”

“I don’t know.” Cassandra answered honestly. “I don’t think I wanna go home.”

Jake nodded. He wasn’t sure how to move forward. He didn’t think he wanted to go home either. Going home meant the day was really over. Going home meant the last time he drove home from school with Cassandra, the last time they spent a Friday afternoon on the town before returning for a movie night with Eve, Flynn and Ezekiel. He couldn’t bear the thought of not doing that anymore, even if he was going on to doing new, better things. It was all too strange.

He’d had the high-school experience, the typical one everyone dreamed of having. Then all of a sudden, in his last year, everything changed. It was like starting over, and it was the high school experience he wanted. But now it was all over after just one year. It just didn’t seem fair. It just started. Where were his other three years?

He looked over at Cassandra and saw her brushing her feet back and forth on the ground, seeming lost as she twiddled with her thumbs. Without talking about it Jake knew they were on the same page. They felt out of place, like they didn’t have somewhere where they belonged. And there was one place that had led them both to a life of belonging.

“Come on.” Jake said, having an idea. He grabbed Cassandra’s hand. “I know where we should go.”

* * *

 

            They sat in the librarian’s lounge, just lying down on the floor, facing the ceiling, holding hands. The building was technically supposed to be closed to students by now, but when Flynn saw them, he’d given them a knowing smile and let them in.

They hadn’t said much in the time they’d been there. They hadn’t been there in a while. With the business of senior year, and their circle of friends growing, the free period study sessions had stopped following a religious schedule.

It was strange to be back here together. Jake looked around at all the pictures and furniture, and remembered seeing them for the first time. He recognized Eve and Cassandra in the pictures, which he hadn’t back then.

This was the room where his life had changed. It was almost eerie. The first time he was here he was a different person. And in this room who he was now was born. And it was mostly thanks to the girl sitting next to him.

Jake looked over at Cassie, and saw her eyes wide and still locked on the ceiling. She looked fascinated with something. She was probably solving some Math equation to pass the time. Or maybe she was lost in thought like him. He didn’t care either way, because it gave him the opportunity to just stare at her.

He remembered the first time he’d seen her, at the start of this whole year. It was the first week of school and she was sitting under a tree, writing something fast in her notebook. He hadn’t even realized he’d been distracted, and Lamia had had to grab his head and turn it away. After that she’d seemed to pop up everywhere. She was in his classes, which he didn’t know how he hadn’t noticed before. She was laughing with her friends, walking down the hallway. She was bouncing as she opened her locker in the morning. There was something about her that drew him in, that made her impossible to ignore, that made her…different.

And then came the day when she bumped into him in the hallway. For the first time he talked to her. And for reasons that he still did not know, he didn’t lie to her about who he was. He’d always hoped that there was someone -one person- that he could be honest with, one person he could trust. And when their eyes met, and he spoke to her for the first time, it was like his mind, and maybe even his heart, knew in an instant and took over: she was that one.

When she walked away from him in the hallway that day, a bounce in her step, he figured out what had made her so different from everyone else around him, what made him so drawn to her: she was alive.

Looking over at Cassandra now, he still saw all of that. Beautiful as a spring day, full of more spirit and life than he had ever seen in anyone else, a girl that he could trust with any secret he could ever possibly have. Maybe it was that thought that brought the next words out of him.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked.

“What?” Cassandra replied. They still didn’t look at each other.

“I’m really scared about moving away to Georgetown.”

“Why?” Cassandra’s voice was quiet, almost as if she was holding something back.

“I never talked to you much about my family.” Jake muttered. “I think you saw everything I could possibly tell you that day you came over.”

“Right…” Cassandra said. She pushed herself up to sitting now, concerned, and Jake did the same.

“So you know that it defies all logic for me to be afraid of leaving.”

“Not necessarily. They’re still your family.”

Jake said nothing. Cassandra scooted closer to him.

“What exactly are you scared of?”

“Aside from all the things that any kid going off to college is scared of?”

Cassandra chuckled lightly.

“My little sisters. With my Mom sick for years now and my Dad basically the cover-model for deadbeat magazine…I’ve been practically raising them for the past four years. I take them to their friends’ houses, I help them with their homework, I make sure they’re fed and in bed on time most days. I shelter them when things are going wrong with my folks.”

“And you’re afraid of what’s going to happen to them once you’re not here.” Cassandra said, finishing his thought.

Jake nodded curtly, then looked down at his lap. There were a few moments of silence. There was nothing to say about it really.

“I know the feeling.” Cassandra admitted. “Ever since what happened to Eve at Prom….you know, it was my worst nightmare, and all I’ve been able to think about since then is what happens if something like that happens again except this time I’m 200 miles from home. And what if this time it ends in more than just a busted shoulder?”

Neither one of them said anything in response. There was nothing to say. It wasn’t okay, and they couldn’t say that it was. And they certainly couldn’t give advice about how to get through it when they were both going through the same thing.

“Well,” Jake finally said. “I guess that’s just growing up though huh? You’re not going to be there for everything at a moment’s notice anymore. You have to go live your life. And that’s scary.”

“And I guess that’s why we’re doing this together.” Cassandra added. Her voice was hushed, fearful, and she found herself moving closer and closer to Jake. “So that when whenever we’re afraid, there’s someone there to make it less scary.”

Cassandra gulped. They’d never had a conversation this serious. Now their noses were practically touching, so close she could feel his breath on her chin. It was the most intimate moment she’d ever experienced. And it scared her that she wasn’t scared.

Jake made the first move and closed the gap. Their lips were touching, more slowly than they ever had before. Their conversation had been small, but now everything they needed to say to each other was being said in this kiss.

Jake wrapped his hands around Cassandra’s hips and her hands came to grab his chin, before moving around to explore him more: his arms, his legs, his hair. She wanted to know what it felt like to hold on to every part of him. It was like looking around a new house you’d just moved into. He was her home, and in a few months, he’d be her only source of home, while they were far away in Virginia. She wanted to get to know her home better. And she wanted to hold on tight. The tighter they held each other, the closer they were, the harder it was for their fears to reach him.

Jake had made out with girls before: that was no secret. And there was no doubt that that’s what he and Cassandra were doing right now. But it felt good for it to have a purpose. It felt good for it to bring him something other than a quick high. Kissing her, long and slow and deep like this, he felt like he could shut out the rest of the world; it was just Cassandra. Her touch on him did not erase his worries, but it comforted them. He was not alone. He had this girl. He had this girl who he…for the first time in his short life, the word really, truly crossed his mind, and he actually understood what it meant.

Not realizing what was happening, or remembering when and where they were, Cassandra started to lean forward. Soon they were close to lying down again. Jake felt Cassandra’s hair start to tickle his shoulder.

“Guys?” Flynn’s voice sounded with a light knock at the door.

Before they even had a chance to communicate their panic to each other they heard the door start to creak open. They jumped up to sitting and then farther apart from each other. Cassandra tucked her legs to her side and smoothed her skirt. And somehow they managed to do it all before Flynn popped his head in.

“What’s up Flynn?” Cassandra asked.

Flynn didn’t speak for a moment, simply staring. He’d be awfully blind not to notice the higher tone of Cassandra’s voice, or her abnormally stiff position, or the tightly pressed smiles that she and Jacob both wore.

“I know I said you guys could stay for a while,” he said. “But it’s getting late and I’m all done with my cleanup work. I gotta take you home now.”

“Okay.” Cassandra agreed. She stood up quickly and grabbed Jake’s hand.

“Come on Jacob let’s go!”

Without a single hesitation they were out the door, almost too quickly. Weren’t these the same kids who’d come to him crying a half-hour ago, not wanting to go home? He laughed. The kids always thought they were so good at hiding these things. He didn’t know whether to be amused, or mad as the older brother, or mad as the foster father, or mad as the school librarian.

Remembering the day, and the movie night Eve had promised the kids, he shook it off and decided to go with the former-most option. As he grabbed his jacket and walked to the car, he made a mental note to ask his wife if she was still looking for gossip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was really a special kind of painful because I was writing it just a few days after it had been one year since I finished high school and oh my god owwe. Also Jake and Cassandra's thoughts and experiences may or may not have been largely based off of my own. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I finished writing the story and I can't even deal with that, so now we're in the home stretch. 3 chapters left and two publishing dates(epilogue will go up with the last chapter). And then I'll have my next multi-chap for you, but more on that later. Until then LITs, stay magical, and I'll see you on Wednesday.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Shorter chapter today, but I think you'll like it. Enjoy!

“Why is Lucy having a graduation party before graduation anyway?” Jake asked. She and Jake walked up to an expensive-looking, expensive Long Island house.

“I don’t know.” Cassandra said. “But it should be fun! Dressed up all fancy, going all out…it’s a very Lucy thing to do.”

“That it is.” Jake agreed laughing.

They reached Lucy’s door and knocked. It opened almost immediately, and Lucy was standing there smiling in a short white dress.

“Hey!” she cheered. “You guys look great! Come in!”

Lucy led them through the house. Cassandra had been there a couple of times when they were younger; she’d spin some lie to her parents about a study group.

“Everyone’s in the basement.” Lucy explained. “Come on we’re almost there.”

When Lucy brought them downstairs, Cassandra was confused. The lights were off. Before she could say anything though, Lucy flicked on a light switch, and a basement full of people screamed.

“SURPRISE!”

Cassandra stumbled back. There were dozens of people from their class in Lucy’s basement, all dressed in suits and fancy cocktail dresses. A banner at the center of the room read _Class of 2017 Prom._

“What’s all this?” Cassandra asked, her voice starting to crack. She held Jake’s hand tightly.

“Well Amy and I felt bad that you had to leave Prom early. You two were the last ones to deserve it.” Lucy explained.

“We wanted to do something.” Amy said, walking up next to her. “I had a project for Government class to organize a charitable event within a community. So I talked to Lucy and we decided to put two efforts together to get you guys a second chance at Prom. And the more and more we talked, the more and more people stepped up and said they wanted to be a part of it.”

Cassandra was in awe. She didn’t know that half these people even knew her name, much less wanted to do something like this for her. Everyone was standing and smiling at her: Dashell and all his friends, Justin, Tom from the swimming team, even that girl Katie Bender who didn’t talk to anyone.

“So you ready to have some fun?” Lucy asked.

Cassandra looked over at Jake, who was staring and standing just as still as she was. But then they exchanged a smile. Prom really had been great. Why not enjoy reliving it?

* * *

 

            The party was in full swing, music blaring and everyone dancing in the center, just like actual Prom had been. Jake and Cassandra were making the rounds, saying hello to everyone that came.

“I still can’t believe all these people” Cassandra said, now that they were standing alone. She shouted over the music.

“Yeah.” Jake agreed.

“It’s incredible. Even Drake is here.”

Cassandra indicated a corner where Drake McIntyre, a lacrosse player and known womanizer was mingling  with some people.

“Is that Grace he’s talking to?”

Next to Drake was Grace Peltz, an awkward girl from the Mathletes team. She wore big glasses and usually kept to herself. But now she and Drake were drinking punch, talking, smiling and she was….giggling.

“Alright!” Cassandra cheered. “Go Grace!”

“So do you wanna go check out the dance floor?” Jake asked.

Before Cassandra could respond a voice sounded from behind them.

“Hi guys.”

Jake and Cassandra turned and saw Lamia. She stood shyly and was made-up less dramatically than usual.

“Hey Lamia,” Cassandra said, surprised. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“James says hi too, but he was a little shy to come over.”

Lamia nudged her head towards the couch where she was sitting. James was sitting with his legs held tightly together, looking around uncomfortably.

“I tried to get all my old friends to come,” Lamia explained. She turned to Jake. “I thought maybe telling them it was for you would earn some sympathy but apparently not. But James texted me this morning and asked if he could come with me.”

“I’m surprised.” Jake said.

“Yeah well, he’s learning.”

None of them said what all three of them knew. Lamia had learned too. Not long ago she would have refused to be here just as vehemently as the others had.

“We were just gonna go dance.” Jake said. “Do you wanna come with us?”

Lamia looked surprised, but soon smiled at them.

“Sure.” she agreed. They all laughed, and joined the ever-growing crowd.

* * *

 

            The party was amazing. It was just as great as the school Prom. It was better. Everyone danced together all night long. Groups and people that never interacted in the school days stood in dance circles and cheered each-other on as they dropped and popped and whipped and cotton-eye-joyed until their feet were practically falling off. Everyone had their moment of glory to laugh and dance and be cheered on by everyone else. For one shining night, all these people that had grown up divided came together as one when it was their last chance to do so.

In the middle of a particularly enthusiastic dance number, the music stopped, causing everyone to cheer. Jake and Cassandra stood with their arms around each other and watched as Lamia jogged up to the front of the pack.

“Hi everyone!” she said. “I worked a bit with Lucy and Amy on tonight’s event, and we have one more surprise. Every Prom needs a queen and king, and at this Prom we are proud to say that the King and Queen are…Jake and Cassandra!”

Jake and Cassandra’s jaws dropped, and then they simply started laughing as Amy and Dashell came running up with crowns to put on their heads. Everyone clapped. They goofed around, bowing and Cassandra curtsying.

“And now the King and Queen need to have their royal dance!”

Everyone cleared the floor and Jake and Cassandra walked to the center, feeling charmed, albeit slightly awkward.

“You think they know our song?” Cassandra whispered as they came together.

At that moment, Ed Sheeran’s _Perfect_ came over the loud speaker. They laughed.

“Hey, as long as I’m dancing with you,” Jake said. “This works perfectly fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your love and support as always! Sunday will have 2 chapters but be our last posting! I'm totally not crying ay all. I'm just working on my next project that is the total opposite end of the coin from this. *wink* See you soon!


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna cry. This is it. Wow. Okay. (Also this is very long and I profoundly apologize)

Graduation Day: The most important day in every teenager’s life; it was finally here. Cassandra stood at a podium, looking out at all of her classmates, ready to deliver a speech that she’d only known she was making the night before, when her phone had mysteriously started ringing 7 PM.

_“Mr. Judson I don’t understand. I can’t be Valedictorian. I was homeschooled for two years I didn’t take most of my APs.”_

_“Yes we know that. Ms. Myer is still going to be listed as the top of our class. But she came in to speak with me, and she said that this position would most certainly be yours had circumstances been different. And she agreed to give up her spot in the lineup of speeches so that you could be acknowledged.”_

_“And Lucy’s okay with this? Lucy who would plow down a toddler to get a participation trophy?”_

_“Miss. Lyons will still be making her speech as salutatorian.”_

Cassandra scanned the crowd as she prepared herself to begin. She let herself first find Eve, sitting in the front row of guests. Her arm in a sling and Flynn’s arm around her, she brought her free hand to her mouth and Cassandra could tell even from this far away that she was crying. She’d cried this morning because “she’d never thought she’d get to see her little sister in a graduation cap.” For the first time Cassandra understood the feeling, and looking at Eve she nearly cried too, because less than a month ago she’d thought the same thing.

With that look of reassurance from her sister, Cassandra took a deep breath and started her speech.

“Good morning Class of 2017, parents, friends, teachers, Mr. Judson and the Board of Education. I am so honored to be able to speak to you on this special day. I struggled for a bit deciding exactly what to say, because I haven’t been here with you all the entire time. These speeches are supposed to be all about our experiences together over four years, and what it means moving towards our future. And I was gone for two of those years.

“But in thinking, I’ve learned a lot in this last year, things that I will take forward into all aspects of my life. And I’ve learned all of that from people and experiences that I’ve been introduced to on this campus. These halls have taught me so much more than just the quadratic formula…though you did a wonderful job doing that Mrs. Judson.”

The crowd laughed, and from the front row, Mrs. Judson flashed Cassandra a smile. Both events filled her with confidence and the drive to move past stage fright.

“In just nine months I have had the fortune to learn life lessons that I never even knew I was learning. But now I know that they are some of the most important things that we need to know moving forward.”

Cassandra took a deep breath and thought about the year before her. She was a different person than when she’d started. She’d never thought that Senior Year would be as special as it was always made out to be, or at least she didn’t understand why. And maybe it was different for everyone else. But for her, it had set up her future, while simultaneously making it feel impossible to ever move on. She thought about everything, from that first day seeing Lucy again thinking all hope was lost, to a week before, dancing the night away with her entire class in her best friend’s basement.

“I have learned that people are almost never what your first impression of them is.”

_“Sorry little lady,” he said, with a classic country drawl. “I didn’t see you there. Hope I didn’t hurt ya.”_

_Cassandra tried hard not to roll her eyes. She wasn’t sure why she had even briefly allowed herself to believe that this guy might be different from the rest of his crowd. She should’ve known better by now_

“I have learned that people can grow and change, and that enemies never have to be permanent.”

Cassandra looked over at Lamia, who was smiling brightly at her and laughing.

_“Hi.” Lamia said shyly. “I saw what happened and I…I just thought I should help. You should stay here but I can go to the cafeteria for you.”_

“I have learned that friendship does not die, nor is it replaced. All it can ever do is grow.”

Cassandra looked behind her. Sitting next to each other on the stage, Lucy and Amy flashed her a teary smile and hugged each other.

_“Cassandra Cillian,” Lucy said. “This is my friend Amy Meyer.”_

_“Best friend.” Amy corrected her, laughing._

Remembering everything, it was getting harder for Cassandra to go on, not because of fear this time, but because of emotion. How could she be moving on from all of this?

“I have learned that family is forever.”

Eve and Flynn smiled at her from where they’d always been. Cassandra breathed to deliver the next part of her speech and started to cry

“And most importantly…..I have learned that family is not just the people you’re related to. You have your family, but you find more as you go on. You make family with the people who make you feel at home.”

_“Here’s to the three of us.” Cassandra said, raising her glass._

_“To us.” Jake and Ezekiel agreed._

Cassandra did not search for anymore faces in the crowd. She couldn’t look at anyone else and still keep herself together long enough to finish. Quickly, she shook away her tears and re-centered herself.

“So, as we all move on to different futures, I encourage you all to remember these lessons. Remember this place. Remember running with your best friends to get back from lunch on time. Remember how it felt to see your favorite teacher every day. Remember going to your favorite club, remember Prom. Remember the people sitting next to you right now. Remember, if you had them, your high school sweetheart.”

_“It’s still early.” Jake said. “How about I walk you to class Girlfriend?”_

_“I’d like that Boyfriend.” Cassandra flirted back._

Cassandra scanned the crowd one last time. She didn’t know whether it would make her cry, or make her brave, but she found him. They locked eyes almost instantly, like it had become so easy for them to do. And looking at him then, she remembered everything they’d been through, but also that she was taking him with her. She had him now, maybe forever. And they’d met here. And that’s exactly what she was talking about.

“Go forward in life and remember it all. Remember it on your first day of college, and on your wedding day, and when you send your own kids off to school. Remember everything. And always, always, remember where it came from. Congratulations Class of 2017. Thanks for the memories.”

The crowd erupted into cheers. Some people stood on their feet. Cassandra laughed and cried all at once, feeling giddy. She’d done it. There were a hundred people waiting to meet her eye, but she was only looking at one of them. And he was a boy who she’d met in the dark light of an empty hallway.

* * *

 

            “Cassandra Cillian-Georgetown University!”

Eve and Flynn stood on their feet and screamed as Mrs. Judson called Cassandra’s name and she took the stage. Jake, Lucy and Amy clapped from their seats, and Ezekiel wolf whistled from the standing crowd.

Cassandra accepted the diploma from Mr. Judson and shook his hand. With pride, she turned towards the crowd and turned her tassel from right to left. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized she’d really made it. Demons did not beat her. She’d graduated from high school. She threw her hands up in the air and waved her diploma around before walking off the stage.

“Lucy Lyons- Yale University.”

Applause erupted for Lucy who preened with a squat as she moved her tassel.

“Amy Meyer- New York University.”

Amy threw her hand up with a rocker sign after accepting her diploma, making Cassandra and Lucy laugh as they stood together and watched her.

“Dashell Miller- American Music and Dramatic Academy.”

Dashell, in his way, simply gave the crowd a cool nod and flippantly moved his tassel. Amy had been waiting for him on the side of the stage, and when he reached her, he dipped her into a passionate kiss. She flashed the crowd a thumbs-up as he did, earning judgmental looks from some parents, but making all of their friends laugh hysterically.

“Lamia Morganstein- University of South Carolina.”

Lamia took the stage standing tall with grace. She remained modest as she shook Mr. Judson’s hand, but, when she turned to the crowd, she curtsied and blew a kiss: always staying true to herself. Cassandra cheered her on a little more enthusiastically than she had her other random classmates.

“Jacob Stone- Georgetown University.”

Jake took the stage and Cassandra stood on her feet, screaming so loud she’d likely have no voice the next day. Back with the guests, Eve and Flynn did the same, cheering just as much for Jake as they had for Cassandra. Eve looked to the left and saw a group of four, with two young girls jumping up and down. They all clapped quietly, but the mother turned to look at Eve, almost seeming like she had a tear in her eye. They flashed each other a knowing smile.

Jake was almost shaking as he took his diploma from Mr. Judson. The old man took his hand and shook it firmly, as well as patting him on the back.

“We’re all very proud of you Mr. Stone.” he said.

“Thank you sir.”

Jake turned to the crowd, moved his tassel and threw his hands up in the air, before jogging off the stage like he was taking a victory lap. He’d actually done it.

Once everyone was back in their seats, Mr. Judson stepped to the microphone.

“If I could ask you all to please stand.” he said. “I now officially pronounce, that the Class of 2017 has graduated. Congratulations!”

Caps flew up into the air from every spot as students cheered their success. On the stage, Cassandra, Amy, and Lucy, all sitting next to each other, enveloped each other in a giant hug. Cassandra caught Jake’s eyes through the crowd. They did it. And it was time for a new chapter to begin.

* * *

 

            Later, after the ceremony, Cassandra and her friends were gathered by the school waiting for their families, having just processed out. They were in discussion about some random thing, when Morgan, Lance and Meredith passed them by.

“Congratulations _Breakfast Club_.” Morgan said with a snicker.

“Hey screw you!” Jake shouted as they walked away. “ _The Breakfast Club_ was awesome.”

“And besides,” another voice added. They turned to see Lamia walking up behind them. “ _The Breakfast Club_ has five people. With me there’s six. And you need me because you need a princess.”

“I think we’d make a great Breakfast Club.” Amy joked. “Even with six people.”

“Yeah, you and Dashell could both be the Basket Case.” Lamia teased.

“Hey!”

Everyone laughed, before Lamia walked up to Jake and Cassandra.

“I just wanted to say goodbye to you guys.” she said. “And wish you luck.”

“Good luck to you too.” Cassandra agreed.

“What are you doing next year?” Jake asked.

“I’m going for Physical Education.” Lamia said with a proud exhale. “I realized that I really love cheerleading. And I wanna be a coach.”

“Well that’s great.”

She and Jake exchanged bright smiles before giving it up and bringing each other into an embrace. Jake squeezed her tightly. The embrace meant a lot of things: good luck, good bye, thanks for our time, _I loved you once_. It felt good to leave the past in the past, to move forward like Cassandra said, remembering their time warmly, appreciating what they had once been for each other.

They broke apart and Lamia turned to Cassandra. They hugged as well, the two of them laughing.

“See you around Lamia.” Jake said.

“See you around.” Lamia agreed. The three gave each other one final smile, Lamia gave a little wave to the others, and then she was gone, off to find her own new beginning.

“Hey!” An excited voice said.

Cassandra turned and screamed. Eve and Flynn were there. She ran to hug them.

“Congratulations Graduate!” Flynn said.

“How does it feel?” Eve asked. Cassandra could see by looking at her that she’d been crying.

“Not too weird….yet.”

Eve looked at Cassandra full of pride. Flynn, carefully watching the situation, could tell that everyone was about to break.

“And how about you Mr. Stone?” he said, trying to break the tension.

Jake came over to join the group and was about to embrace Eve and Flynn. Just then, a quiet voice sounded from the crowd.

“Jacob?”

Jacob turned and immediately stumbled back.

“Mom!”

He knew she was here of course, and expected to see his family after the ceremony, but for some reason this had taken him aback. Maybe it was because of the associations he’d made with Eve and Flynn, whom he’d already seen. And then he realized it: she was alone.

“Mom what are you doing?” he asked. “You should be sitting down, the doctor said…”

“Oh screw him.” Mrs. Stone said. “I’m allowed to come see my son.”

“Mom I’m gonna come over in a minute I…”

“No.” she said, stopping him mid-sentence and grabbing him by the shoulder. “I needed to come over and tell you how proud of you I am.”

Jake said nothing. If what was happening was what he thought it was, it was something he’d dreamed about since he was a little boy. He’d since given up on it, and even brushed it off as okay, considering the new situation he found himself in. But now, with his mother in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel like he was that little boy all over again.

“I always knew you were brilliant. And you are going to be even more brilliant….at Georgetown.”

Jake smiled at her, wanting almost to cry. He never even thought his family would know about his intelligence, much less embrace it. But here it was, happening.

“And you beautiful.”

She turned towards Cassandra, who was even more startled, and caressed her chin. She took Cassandra’s hand and brought it to Jake’s.

“I am so glad you two found each other. I recognize that sparkle in your eyes from when I first met your father.”

Mrs. Stone turned back, as if she were looking for something. She turned back to them and paused before continuing, tears in her eyes now.

“Don’t ever let that go darlings.”

“Thank you Mrs. Stone.” Cassandra said, crying as well.

Jake let go of Cassandra’s hand and brought his mother into an embrace. He let it become tight, like he was a little kid in Oklahoma, bruised up after falling off of his bike. He was going to miss her when he was away, he knew it now.

“I love you Mom.” he whispered before kissing her on the cheek.

She gave the couple one final look before turning towards Eve and Flynn.

“Thank you.” she said, so quietly she was almost just mouthing the words.

Eve and Flynn nodded at her and she turned away, walking back to her family.

Jake was frozen still, still unable to believe what had just happened. Cassandra smiled at him and kissed his cheek before linking her arm through his and laying her head on his shoulder.

* * *

 

            Ezekiel walked alone, looking down at the ground. He’d wanted to say hi to Jake and Cassandra, but hadn’t been able to bring himself to have the courage yet. Funny to think this was happening: the great Ezekiel Jones acting shy. But his friends were moving on. He could say they wouldn’t forget him, and they could say it too. But they were still leaving. He was going to be alone. He’d always known how to be alone, it should’ve been fine…but he’d gotten used to the company.

Walking the field, he saw a girl from his Math class standing alone on the football field. She was holding her instrument case close to her middle and rocking back and forth on her feet. He’d always thought maybe she’d be a fun friend, but he didn’t know how or when to approach her. Now seemed as good a time as any though.

“Hey.” he said, approaching her carefully. “It’s Cyndi right?”

“You know my name?” she asked, her eyes getting wide as she looked at him. “Sorry. I just didn’t think you knew who I was. I mean…hi.”

“Of course I know who you are! You’re in my Math class. Ezekiel! Remember?”

“Oh I know who _you_ are, but I didn’t think you knew who _I_ was.”

“Well of course I know who you are.” he said. He was quickly melting back into himself. “I’ve always thought you were kind of cool.”

“Me?” Cyndi asked, giggling slightly. “Cool?”

“Yeah. You’ve always got awesome outfits. And you’re so nice to everyone. _I_ can’t be that nice.”

“No one’s ever thought I was cool before.” Cyndi remarked.

Ezekiel turned around and saw Jake and Cassandra watching him. He rolled his eyes; of course they’d found him. They were smiling it him, making weird motions with their hands trying to urge him forward. He laughed in spite of himself. Maybe things with them wouldn’t change that much after all.

“So Cyndi.” he said. He forgot nervousness. Nothing held Ezekiel Jones back. “My friends are having this big graduation party tomorrow night. Would you maybe wanna come with me?”

“Me? _Really_? Sure!” Cyndi jumped up and down, immediately opening up. Ezekiel laughed. “Oh wait, I just have to ask my Mom. I’ll give you my number!”

“Sounds cool.” Ezekiel said.

He smiled as Cyndi pulled out her phone. He looked back at Jake and Cassandra, who were turned to each other now. Being friends with seniors, no matter how close they were, he’d managed to feel a little left out sometimes. It had always been on his mind: why didn’t he have his own group like this? What would he do when he was a senior? He was jealous. Looking at Jake and Cassandra and then Cyndi, he felt like just maybe his own epic story was finally beginning.

* * *

 

            Jake and Cassandra walked hand-in-hand down the school parking lot, yards behind Eve and Flynn on the way to their cars.

“So I guess this is it.” Cassandra said. “We are officially no longer in high school.”

“I suppose not.” Jake said. Cassandra didn’t respond. He felt her hand tense-up in his, and watched her gaze wander.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing. It’s just I can’t believe it’s only been this last year. You and me I mean. So much has happened.”

“Well good things.”

“Yeah of course it’s just….I don’t know. Strange to leave.”

“I know what you mean.” Jake said. “Speaking of which I have a confession to make.”

“Huh?”

“Well I thought we should leave this place with no secrets. Only honesty.”

“Oh?”

Cassandra stopped walking and turned to face Jake. Every time he said something like that, even though she shouldn’t be, she was scared. She couldn’t help it. She knew he’d never do anything untrustworthy now, but if he was talking about the past….

He hesitated, only increasing her tension, then moved close to her and bumped her in the side.

“I never needed help with Math.” he said.

She rolled her eyes, of course he was teasing her. Well…two could play that game.

“Well then you should know that _I_ never needed help with English.” she said.

“I know.”

“You _know_?”

“Oh you were _so_ obvious. You just thought I was cute.”

“I did not!” Cassandra shouted. She stopped herself when she saw Jake snickering, and she realized how loud she’d been. “I thought you seemed nice and I wanted to get to know you better.”

“The star mathlete wanted to get to know the star quarterback? Really?” Jake teased.

“Alright Mr. Perfect. What’s your excuse then?”

“I thought you were cute.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes and linked their arms as he laughed. She figured her face was bright red by now, but somehow, she didn’t care.

“Oh by the way.” Jake said. He stopped their walk again and reached into his bag. “I almost forgot. Here.”

He held out Cassandra’s yearbook, causing her to stare at him like he had two heads.

“I wasn’t aware you had my yearbook.”

“Yeah I figured out last night what I wanted to say, so I took it when you weren’t looking and here it is.”

Cassandra didn’t know whether to be mad or flattered.

“Before you get angry,” Jake said. It was like he’d read her mind. “I think you might wanna read it.”

Cassandra flipped to the back cover, which she had saved for Jake. She smiled as she read over his careful handwriting.

_Dear Cassie- Thank you for everything you’ve given me this year. I wouldn’t be who I am without you. Thanks for the adventure, and I can’t wait to start our next one._

It was sweet, but Cassandra tried to hold back disappointment at the brevity. It wasn’t very like him. And she knew that he’d tried very hard, but…that was all until she saw the bottom corner. And she wanted to cry.

Stuck on the bottom of the page was a post-it note, with one last message for her.

She looked up at him with, wide, teary eyes, trying to ask him if he really meant it. He read her loud and clear, because it only took him a few seconds to repeat what he’d written on the Post-It.

“I mean it.” he said. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you Cassandra.”

Cassandra had thought about the words for a little while. She didn’t know when or how it was right to say them, or if she was really ready to say them at all. She’d loved him as a friend before, maybe that’s all she’d been feeling. But what she felt for him was so much more than that. And hearing him say it to her, she was surer than ever.

“I love you too Jacob.” she said, crying.

They smiled and without another thought, she leaned up and kissed him. It was deep, passionate, but in a different way than it had been in the library. It was another way of saying I love you. When they parted, Cassandra looked into Jake’s bright blue eyes, and she knew for certain that no matter how scary graduation was, what they had was never going to change.

“You know,” Cassandra whispered. “Now that it’s summer Eve and Flynn are finally going to take their honeymoon.”

“Oh?”

“Mmhmm. And that means I’m gonna have the house all to myself for _two weeks_.”

As Cassandra said this, her fingers danced across Jake’s collar bone. He gulped and froze. His legs suddenly felt like jello, and he was pretty sure that the sweat coming off of his brow was not related to the heat.

“Oh.” he stuttered. “Well, that sounds nice.”

“Very.” Cassandra agreed.

Once the shock wore off, the moment felt comfortable. Jake leaned down and kissed Cassandra again.

Laughing, she turned and grabbed his hand and they continued to walk out of the school.

“So,” Cassandra said. “Are you ready for this?”

“No.” Jake answered, after a moment.

“Are you scared?”

“No.”

“You’re not ready, but you’re not scared?” Cassandra laughed.

“Yes.” Jake answered surely. “Because I know it’s gonna be great.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Well, because I’m doing this with you. And everything with you is great. And as for any fear that’s left after that….well sometimes Cassie, you just gotta have a little faith.”

Cassandra smiled and leaned in close to him. As they walked further away from their school, the sun set behind them, closing a chapter. But just as it always did, it would rise in the morning, shining its light on a brand new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to cry. Partly for seeing my babies graduate and partly because this was largely based off my own feelings during and after graduation. Thank you so much for everything guys! I'll have a long emotional rant after the epilogue, which you can read on to now.


	27. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now let's play where are they now. (With one more Leverage reference for good measure)
> 
> (NOTE: This is the epilogue. The last chapter was posted today as well and is listed as Chapter 26)

**_10 years later…_ **

“Ezekiel I’m sure it’s fine!” Cassandra laughed and rolled her eyes as she continued to listen to her friend rant on the other end of the phone.

_“It’s not Cassandra! You remember Wexler! You know how the kids behave!”_

Ezekiel, usually a rogue travelling the world with his girlfriend Cyndi, had just come home for a visit. Upon doing so he’d learned that Parker, now 18, had a boyfriend. From what Cassandra had been able to tell in the last ten minutes, he wasn’t taking it well.

“It’s Parker!” Cassandra assured her. “I’d like to see anyone dare try to take advantage of her. You know her. She’s headstrong and she’s got a good grasp on her own morals and ideals. Trust her a little why don’t you.”

 _“I know that Red, but it’s my_ little sister! _She’s not supposed to get a boyfriend. She’s supposed to give her Barbies boyfriends.”_

“Well she’s a little past Barbies Jones, if you didn’t notice. Knowing Parker I’m sure he’s very sweet. What’s his name?”

 _“Alec.”_ Ezekiel grumbled.

“Well tell Parker and _Alec_ that Jacob and I would love to have them over for dinner. You too! And Cindy.”

_“Cassandra…”_

“Oh Jake’s back from checking the coats gotta go Zeke BYE!”

Cassandra hung up the phone and exhaled with relief. Lord that boy knew how to talk. Just then, Jacob came and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She jumped back with a little yelp, before she heard him laugh, and then turned to kiss him.

“Who was that keeping you on the phone so long?” he asked.

“Ezekiel. Apparently little Parker’s got a boyfriend and someone’s not too happy about it.”

Jake shook his head. Ten years and Ezekiel Jones had not changed one bit.

“Ready to go in?” he asked his wife.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Cassandra and Jacob Stone walked hand-in-hand into their old school gymnasium. It was the night of their ten-year high-school reunion. Back in the place where they’d met, they were now married and practically, in the eyes of anyone who knew anything about them, living like superheroes.

As they walked into the room everyone stopped as all eyes turned on them. Most of their classmates knew of their successes and, fashion go-getters as well, they drew a lot of immediate attention.

“Far cry from what it used to be like here huh?” Cassandra commented.

Before Jake could respond, a loud screaming came at them from the side, before crashing into them with a hug. Cassandra turned and beamed to see Amy, Dashell standing close behind her.

“Hey stranger!” Amy proclaimed.

Cassandra screamed and rushed to hug her friend. They hadn’t seen each other as often as they used to in the past few years. Life just got in the way. But looking at each-other now, it was like nothing had ever changed.

“Look at you!” Cassandra exclaimed. “I seriously don’t get it. I hate you. Three kids and still as thin as you were the day we graduated.”

“What can I say?” Amy teased. “They keep me on my feet.”

Amy and Dashell had married their sophomore year of college. It was a small affair: a trip to the courthouse not sponsored by their parents and a moderately priced dinner after-words. A year later Amy was suddenly pregnant. Seven years and two more kids after that and the power-couple was still going strong.

“How are the little monsters?” Jake asked.

“Zara is 3 and simply graduating from terrible two to terrible three, Reuben is 5 and at the prime of his making messes stage and if you can believe it Hazel’s about to start the second grade!”

“Where does the time go?”

“I can’t believe my two best girls from high school are both married with children before age 30!” Another voice came from the crowd and Lucy appeared, approaching the group brandishing a full glass of wine.

“Well hello to you too little green monster!” Amy teased.

Lucy ignored the snap and continued on without a greeting, as if it hadn’t been two years since she had seen them as well.

“I’m just saying there’s no reason to settle so young! I like my career and I like my night-life. And I should: I’m 28! I can worry about all that settling down stuff once I have my first Nobel.”

Lucy, staunchly and loudly single and fierce, worked in the research department of NYU. While Cassandra and Amy had settled down and started families, she’d stayed on her own. She liked to frequently remind them over text how much fun she was still having, or how much progress she was making with her work. It was all out of love of course-at least that’s what she insisted.

Everyone stared at Lucy without saying anything. Amy rolled her eyes before turning back to Cassandra.

“So,” she said. “We haven’t seen you since Summer was born. How is she?”

Cassandra was about to answer when Jake jumped in and cut her off. She smiled at him as he surged forward. Since the day she was born, he took every opportunity he had to talk about their daughter.

“She’s great!” Jake exclaimed. “She’s better than great. We just had her second birthday and she’s all over the place. But she’s talking a lot, more than most kids. She likes to sit with us when we’re working. And she’s reading already if you can believe it! Not _reading_ reading, but she picks up on bits of sentences by herself when we’re reading her bedtime story, which she makes us do every night.”

“She is your daughter!” Amy remarked. “She was bound to be brilliant.”

As Jake continued to brag, Cassandra turned and looked around the crowded gymnasium. It was strange to see all these people around her, having not seen most of them at all since they were teenagers. The kids who tortured her, the popular ones who paid her no attention one way or another, the stoners who made out against her locker, the kids who had been with her on the Mathletes team: they were all here. She wondered where everyone ended up.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Lucy said, leaning in close to Cassandra. “I think I see Justin over there. I think he might need to be paid a visit.”

“I thought you said you were focusing on getting your Nobel.” Cassandra laughed.

“Oh I am. But not settling down doesn’t mean I can’t have a good time.”

Without another word, she was gone, and Cassandra shook her head. There was one thing she could be sure of: Lucy had never changed.

“Hey there Otters!” Morgan Laffae’s voice came over the speaker system and filled the room. “Welcome to the reunion! Everyone can help themselves to some food, and later we have a big surprise: a very special performance from the Otters cheerleading squad, coached by our very own Lamia Morganstein-Ross!”

“Well she doesn’t seemed to have changed a wink.” Dashell said sarcastically. Everyone was laughing when another voice caught their attention.

“I wouldn’t doubt that.”

Cassandra turned and yelped in excitement for yet another time that night, this about a person she’d never thought she’d be excited to see.

“Nice to see you Lamia.” Jake said smiling.

“Likewise.”

The two embraced and when they broke apart, Lamia and Cassandra hugged, laughing. Lamia turned behind her and pulled a woman Cassandra hadn’t seen before towards them.

“I’d like to introduce you two to my wife Scarlett”

Introductions were made, and cheerful greetings exchanged. Cassandra noted that Lamia looked very happy. And that was good: she certainly deserved it.

* * *

 

            The night was filled with all kinds of fun that made Cassandra feel like she’d never left Wexler. There was a photo-booth, with signs to hold up listing yearbook superlatives. Cassandra and Jake snapped plenty a picture bearing the label “cutest couple.” They danced all night to his from the 2000s and 2010s. Lamia’s cheerleaders blew the roof off of the place.

Now, towards the end of the night, Amy, Dashell, Jake, Cassandra, Lucy, Justin, Lamia and Scarlett sat around a table, conversing and enjoying coffee and cookies.

“Looks like The Breakfast Club did all right huh?” Lamia asked.

“Hey that club was all us girlie.” Lucy teased.

“Oh no I was a part of it.” Lamia retorted. “I told you. I was your princess.”

She flipped her hair melodramatically, throwing her head to the side.

Cassandra listened to the sound of her friends laughing and looked around the room. It was crazy to think that it had been ten years since they last went to school here. So much had happened to her since then.

The years had been very kind. Her time in college had been some of the best years of her life. But then, every year her life just seemed to keep getting better and raising the bar. She’d come to have everything she’d dreamed of having when she was a little girl.

Married not long after they graduated, she and Jake were still happily together, living in a house not far from where Eve and Flynn now lived with their three girls. Jake was a professor at Columbia University, and Cassandra worked there as a research scientist.

She’d started making Youtube videos about science in college, just for fun, and they’d really taken off. Netflix had been talking to her about developing them into a series for kids: she was set to be then next _Bill Nye the Science Guy_.

Their two year old daughter Summer was just like them, and brought more and more joy into their lives each day. She had hair as red as her mothers and eyes as blue as both of her parents’. No matter any of that, Cassandra always insisted she was more like Jake, and Jake insisted she was more like Cassandra.

After all the struggles and heartache when she was a girl, she really had found her happily ever after. She was working her dream job, she was surrounded by family in every way possible, she had a myriad of best friends, and she had true love.

Jake must have noticed her wandering gaze. He reached under the table and grabbed her hand.

“I love you.” he whispered.

She looked over at him and smiled.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Now it's really over. And I am so emotional about this. I'm tearing up. Thank you guys, my readers, so so so so much. I have never been so proud of a story that I've written. This is the first story I've outlined fully, that I was consistent with in writing and publishing, and it helped me grow so much as a writer. Thank you all for being a part of that experience, with every kind word in the comments and every Kudos. You always made me smile-especially when you were yelling at me. I really never expected this fic to take off the way it did.Thank you so so so so so so much from the bottom of my heart.
> 
> I've never written an AU like this and dealing with AU versions of characters, they felt like they were half mine. And smaller characters like Lucy and Amy and Lamia felt three-quarters mine. To see those characters through a year that for me was a very important year, and a very hard year to move on from, was incredible and so emotional. I am crying as much as Eve seeing them walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, and it brought me such joy to give everyone their Happy Ending. 
> 
> I really hope you've enjoyed the journey. If you're into angst, follow me over to "And The Loom of Fate." Oh wow I actually had to stop typing this to cry. I love each and every one of you, thank you, and I am going to miss writing this story for you so much. One more time I'll say, thank you for all your love and support, and stay magical.

**Author's Note:**

> That's all for now! Hope you liked it! I'm going to try to post twice a week since if I didn't this would take nearly 30 weeks to finish posting. So I'll see you in a few days with chapter 2, where we'll meet everyone else in this universe. Until then, stay magical my LITs!


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